Firefighters believe a pet may have started an accidental house fire in north-west England. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said two appliances were called to Saltash Close in Runcorn at 12.45pm on Sunday. The blaze was reported to have 'affected the ground floor'. It is believed to have probably been caused by a pet knocking a cooking hob. CFRS did not identify the type of suspected pet. A CFRS spokesperson said: "Two fire engines from Penketh and Stockton Heath. "Fire crews were deployed to a house fire in Runcorn, which is believed to have affected the ground floor. "Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus took a hose reel jet inside the property to extinguish the flames. "A fire investigation concluded that the fire was accidental, and the most probable cause was determined to be the hob being knocked on by a pet. "The occupiers are not thought to have been inside the property at the time of the incident - everyone was accounted for." The incident is far from the only fire to have broken following the accidental actions of a pet. Multiple unrelated reports on news outlets including the BBC and ABC news in recent years have recounted how dogs have started house fires by means including turning on gas hobs and turning on a toaster, with Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) urging householders to turn off electric appliances at the mains when not in use and to shut kitchen doors at night to prevent access to dogs, other pets and children, as well as stressing the importance of working smoke alarms. Speaking in November last year, Suzanna Chisholm, KFRS area manager for customer safety, said: "You don’t necessarily expect a dog to be able to start a kitchen fire – but it can and does happen. "To help reduce the chance of electrical fires we advise everyone to switch off and unplug electrical items off when not in use, which will also prevent pets, or children, accidentally turning them on. "People can also close their kitchen door when not in the room, if they have one, to make sure pets don’t jump up and knock switches, like cooker knobs."