THE kitchen of a Southampton home caught fire when a man fell asleep while cooking burgers.

Firefighters were called to the house in Redbridge Hill at 3.05am today.

The occupant, a 43-year-old man, had been cooking burgers in a pan on the stove, but had fallen asleep.

Even though his smoke alarm went off, he did not wake up and his neighbours eventually called firefighters who were forced to break into the flat.

The man was woken up by the firefighters, and was not injured.

Speaking after the incident, watch manager Simon Packer said: “I would like to warn people against leaving cooking unattended by being distracted, sitting down or falling asleep.

“You should always keep an eye on it.”