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British man puts out kitchen fire with aunt's oversized underwear

Raphael G. Satter, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON - They went from baggy knickers to the ultimate hotpants.
A fire department official in Britain says Jenny Marsey's miraculous underwear saved the day by doubling as an emergency fire blanket during a kitchen blaze.
Marsey's nephew, John, was frying bread in her kitchen in Hartlepool, northeast England, on Sunday when the fire broke out.
He grabbed the nearest thing from a pile of washing to smother the fire - a wet pair of his aunt's size 18 underwear.
The nephew's quick thinking saved the kitchen but left Marsey's underpants slightly scorched.
"It could have been a lot worse," said Marsey. "My family could have been in hospital but the knickers saved the day."
A fire brigade spokesman said that the general principle - using a large, wet cloth to cover a grease fire - was a sound one.
As for using underwear: "Clearly it depends on what size you are," he said, "but I don't want to go there."