FIRE broke out in a Grimsby home after floodwater seeped into the electrics.
Firefighters forced entry into the two-storey property in Marshall Avenue at around 5.50am yesterday before tackling the flames.
Luckily no-one was in the house at the time of the blaze, which started in the electric box under the stairs.
And because the internal doors of the property were kept closed, the fire was largely contained to the cupboard under the stairs.
However, smoke damage was caused to other rooms throughout the building.
Homeowners Martyn and Helen Mortlock returned to their house at around 8.30am yesterday to survey the damage.
They had stayed overnight at a hotel after attending Ladies' Day at Market Rasen Racecourse and travelled back to Grimsby after receiving an early morning phone call from their 19-year-old son Daniel, who had stayed at his girlfriend's.
Martyn, 40, said: "Our next door neighbour contacted my son on Facebook and he phoned me that morning. The firemen have smashed the front and back doors to get because they thought someone was inside. They said it was some sort of electrical problem.
"The boiler has melted away and there's smoke damage all over the house. I'm just gutted. It's our home at the end of the day but it's nothing that can't be cleaned up and painted."
Helen, 40, said: "When I saw the floor I thought it had all been pulled up because it was black. It smells like an ashtray in the living room. It's lucky it was contained in the cupboard really. The main thing is that no one was hurt."
The flooding also hit businesses in nearby Cromwell Road.
BetFred bookmakers shop was closed due to the floods and Keen King And Jones Opticians is hoping to be open for business today after yesterday's clean-up operation.
Part-owner Graeme King said: "The carpet is soaked all the way through, but having experienced something similar on a bigger scale seven years ago we were prepared to some extent with flood protection and flood resilience."
