A MUM waiting for her Mother's Day breakfast in bed this morning was unaware her two children were setting the kitchen on fire.

The Lower Templestowe mother heard noise coming from the kitchen where her two daughters were attempting to cook breakfast but dismissed it as bickering between the pair.

But disaster struck as the fire took hold with the girls’ father receiving 2nd degree burns to his hands as he tried to put out the flames.

Templestowe station officer Rod Lawler said fire fighters arrived at the John St house shortly after 8.15am and quickly put out the blaze, estaimated to have caused $15,000 damage.

He said the girls had been cooking in a flash pan which appeared to have fired up setting the cupboards alight.

Mr Lawler said the accident served as a reminder to families to have working smoke alarms and fire blankets in the home.

“It is a timely reminder to make sure all the alarms are working – this family had three but they weren’t functioning,” he said.

“The mum heard the commotion but thought they were fighting, instead they were yelling ‘fire’.”

The 56-year-old father was taken to Austin hospital with 2nd degree burns to his hands, and the girls were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Link

This is a mad story. They were yelling 'fire' but the mother thought they were argueing!?!

Also a good reminder, as if we needed one, to keep our fire alarms checked and working...

That's why I never believed in Mother's Day or it's spin-offs like Father's Day, Family Dog's Day and Goldfish Day.

Mothering Sunday used to mean the day on which one returned to one's mother church - the church where you were baptised.

But of course someone had to commercialise it, same as Christmas and Easter,