CLOTHING left to dry near a gas fire sparked a fire alert in Lancaster on Saturday.

An alarm was raised when smoke was seen pouring from a rear bedroom window of a home on Franklin Street .

Two fire engines raced to the scene and searched the house after reports that people may be trapped inside.

But it turned out that all the occupants were out on a cycle ride. They only found out about the alarm when they returned home later.

The cause of the fire was a clothes rack left in front of a gas fire to dry while the occupants were out. It had fallen over after the occupants left.

Because smoke detectors were fitted to the premises and activated in the early stages of the fire, a neighbour was alerted. The fire service reached the scene within four minutes of the call and damage was confined to the living room.

Sub officer Steve Darby says: "Had the premises not been fitted with detectors the damage would have been more severe because the fire would have gone unnoticed.

"The Fire Service would like to highlight the importance of smoke detectors in the home. Also, the fire service would like to highlight the dangers of drying clothes in front of fires, whether the premises are occu-pied or even worse, leaving them to dry when leaving the premises."