Firefighters responding to a house fire in Peterborough were delayed after parked vehicles blocked access to a residential street.
Crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground fire stations were called to a fire on Victoria Street in Fletton at 8.07pm on Monday, May 11.
While travelling to the incident, emergency vehicles were impeded by cars parked on both sides of the road, leaving too small a gap for crews to pass through quickly.
Station Commander Gareth Boyd, one of the officers at the incident, said residents should consider whether emergency vehicles would be able to access narrow streets before leaving their cars overnight.
He said: “We appreciate parking your car near your home can be a challenge, however we really need residents to think about where they leave their cars and make sure there is enough space for our fire engines to pass through in an emergency.
“After receiving the call our operators in Fire Control did a great job making sure they advised the residents to evacuate the property quickly and safely.
“Once the crews were able to access the property, they were quickly able to extinguish the fire, which started in the kitchen, and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the home.”
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel to extinguish the blaze before clearing smoke from the property using a positive pressure ventilation fan.
Crews returned to their stations by 9pm. The cause of the fire was later confirmed as accidental.
Mr Boyd said delays caused by inconsiderate parking were becoming increasingly common for emergency crews.
He added: “Sadly it is quite common for our crews to be delayed by vehicles parked inconsiderately. We would urge residents to think about where they are parking, particularly where they leave them overnight.
“In this instance, we were still able to get to the property quickly to prevent the fire from spreading. The next time we might not be as fortunate, and the delay could be devastating.”
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has urged motorists to consider whether emergency vehicles could safely pass through streets or turn into junctions before parking their vehicles.
