FIREFIGHTERS tackled a blaze in the cellar-based kitchen of a Keighley house late this afternoon.

A faulty microwave oven is believed to have sparked the fire, at a terraced property in June Street, Lawkholme.

The occupant raised the alarm at about 5.40pm after smoke began seeping into the house.

"He shut the kitchen door – which helped confine the fire to the cellar area – before safely evacuating the property," said a Keighley fire service spokesman.

"He was a bit shaken, but otherwise unhurt."

Firefighters used a hose reel to extinguish the blaze and a special high-powered fan to help clear smoke from the house.