THREE people were given precautionary check-ups after three fire engines attended at a house fire in Stevenston.

On Saturday night, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews responded to the incident in Ardoch Crescent around 8.25pm, with an appliance from Kilwinning and two from Ardrossan sent following a 999 call.

A woman in a neighbouring flat was given fire survival advice over the telephone by a control firefighter while the crews made their way to the scene.

Station manager Lawson Elliot said: “The caller reported smoke was coming into her home through a window and a door.

"She was advised to close the window, put blankets down at the door to block the smoke, and move upstairs to get further away from it.

“After reporting that she could see fire engines outside, the control firefighter also reassured her that our crews at the scene had been made aware of her new position within her flat.

“Four firefighters in breathing apparatus were committed to the property affected by fire and discovered the living room was well alight.

"They quickly extinguished the flames using a single high-pressure jet and carried out a search and rescue operation throughout the building.” Two adults and a child were evacuated from another neighbouring property and oxygen was provided to the man, who appeared to be suffering from slight smoke inhalation.

All three received precautionary check-ups from ambulance personnel.

There are no suspicious circumstances and the incident is believed to be electrical in nature.

Station manager Elliot added: “Electrical appliances are a common source of fire within the home and we would urge everyone to take some steps to reduce the risk.

“An appliance should never be used if it has a torn wire or a damaged plug, electric cables should never be kept under carpets and electrical sockets should never be overloaded.

“We all probably have extension leads in our homes to increase the number of appliances powered from a single socket, but just because there is space for four appliances doesn’t mean it’s safe to connect them.

“Different appliances use different amounts of power.

"To prevent them overheating we should never have devices that combined use more than 13 amps or 3,000 watts of energy plugged into an extension.

“Some devices – things like fridges and freezers – are of course designed to be left on but even these could cause a fire if they aren’t used properly.

“Even when all the precautions are taken fire can still happen to any of us.

"If it does, then early warning is crucial to preventing tragedies.

"Working smoke alarms save lives.” Further advice for householders, including a socket overload calculator, can be found on the SFRS website at: www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety.aspx.