An alert neighbour spotted smoke in the kitchen of a Brighton flat and dialled 999.
The quick-thinking response ensured firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading to other flats in the high-rise block in Wellington Road.
Five fire engines were sent to the blaze, including one with an aerial ladder platform.
A crew from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service made their way into the flat from the rear balcony and put out the blaze.
The fire started because food had been left cooking unattended, prompting a warning from Crew Manager Tim Cook.
He said: “Please do not leave any cooking unattended because you could not only be putting your lives in danger but others as well.
“This type of callout is surprisingly common and many are still unaware of how dangerous it is to leave cooking unattended.
“Only last week we were called out to another similar incident to this.
“I believe a pan of potatoes had been left boiling on the stove and the water had evaporated resulting in the pan’s handle catching fire.
“Due to this being a high-rise property we had to send a number of appliances as a precautionary measure and the occupants were very lucky that a concerned neighbour spotted the fire and alerted us immediately.”
The incident happened shortly after 8pm on Sunday (19 June).
