Tumble-dried towels bursting into flames at a Carlisle home last night has prompted a warning from firefighters to be mindful when drying washing.

Firefighters from both Carlisle west and east fire stations were called to a house on Etterby Lea Road in north Carlisle at just before 2am.

Upon arrival, the crews found smouldering freshly laundered towels in the kitchen, which burst into flames as the firefighters were assessing the situation.

No one was injured and the damage to the house was minimal as the fire crews were able to swiftly extinguish the fire.

Firefighters who attended last night's incident are keen to impress on Carlisle residents that freshly laundered towels can, if not allowed to cool, carry a risk of catching fire.

"This is the second such type Carlisle west have attended this year," a spokesman for the station said.

"The towels were quickly extinguished and removed from the property and the damage to the home was minimal.

"Nobody was injured and the family were checked over by ambulance service colleagues just to be safe."

The spokesman added that, while it is uncommon for such an event to occur, there are measures that can be taken to help ensure the risk is minimised.

"This is not an overly common occurrence and the two incidents have involved tea towels placed in bags after a tumble dry," he said.

"Thankfully there were no injuries on either occasion and we ask that you take care when using a dryer and allow your textiles to cool down before folding.

"It is important to note that tumble dryers use significant amounts of heat to dry clothes and you should always allow the cycle to cool the clothes at the end or allow a cooling period before folding or bagging textiles straight from the drum.

"Residual heat can build up in the textiles if not cooled and the result is a slow process where the textiles can auto ignite.

"Up to ignition point, the fumes and smoke that emits is flammable and toxic and can be in large quantities which is dangerous to inhale or to be around."

"To reduce the risk we ask that people do not fold hot clothes from the dryer without cooling them first.

"Always allow a cooling cycle to run or allow the textiles to cool naturally before folding away, and never leave a tumble dryer unattended when operating and always keep an eye on it when it is running."