A kitchen was set on fire and left "full of smoke" – because of the family dog

One U.K. family's home nearly went up in flames this week when their kitchen was set on fire and quickly filled with smoke. But the biggest surprise of the incident was the culprit – the family dog. 

England's Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said that when responders arrived at the scene, the family's kitchen was "full of smoke." Firefighters had to use hose reel jets to distinguish the flames, which they were able to do quickly, before ventilating the property. All damage was contained in the kitchen. 

"This morning we were called out to a kitchen fire which started after items were left on top of the hob," Watch Manager Rob Fossett said in a press release on Wednesday. "It had been turned on accidentally by the family's dog."