A MICROWAVE oven exploded in the kitchen of a flat in Harnham on Monday after a child is believed to have put an aerosol can inside it and switched the oven on.

Firefighters called to the flat in Essex Square at mid-day on Monday found smoke billowing from the ground floor and the kitchen well alight.

Quick action by the firefighters prevented the fire spreading and no-one was hurt as the occupants had evacuated before fire crews arrived.

Fire crews used ventilation equipment to clear the smoke-logged building. The kitchen was badly damaged but the remainder of the building escaped fire damage but was affected by smoke.

A woman is recovering in hospital at Salisbury from burns she received when her New Forest home caught fire over the weekend.

Margaret Crook managed to escape from her bungalow home in Landford when she discovered the blaze and went to a neighbour's home to raise the alarm.

But, she received burn injuries and was taken to Salisbury District Hospital for treatment. Her condition was said to be "satisfactory."

More than 20 firefighters spent over two hours fighting the blaze, which severely damaged the bungalow.