A Hastings woman had a surprise meeting with firemen while taking a bath on Wednesday.
Hastings Fire Service station officer Mike Manning said that at about 8.20pm the woman's Duke St neighbours heard her smoke alarms activate.
"The occupant of the house is an elderly lady who is profoundly deaf and when the neighbours heard her smoke alarms they called us," he said.
"When we arrived they told us she was still inside the house, so our staff made an entry and found her having a bath.
"With the door closed she wasn't aware of the fire in her kitchen.
"Fire fighters assisted her from the property while they contained and extinguished the fire."
"She was pretty stoic - she reckoned it was the most action she had seen since the 1931 earthquake."
He commended her neighbours for doing "all the right things".
"They rang us and stayed out of the house, leaving us to deal with the fire which was excellent."
Every house should have smoke alarms, he said.
"If people want a home fire safety check they should contact us," he said.
Part of the check was a free fire alarm.
The elderly woman had a traditional smoke alarm but there were "very effective" options available for people with hearing difficulty, such as strobe-light alarms.
Damage to her property from the burning food was minimal, he said.