FIREFIGHTERS in Saffron Walden have issued a warning following a second kitchen fire this week.

On January 30, two crews were called to Farmadine House around 2.50pm after unattended cooking started a small fire. Just three days earlier crews were called to The Spike on Radwinter Road after an unattended burger had caught fire.

Station Officer Paul Curtis said: “We were called to the sheltered accommodation this afternoon and staff there had done a great job and evacuated everyone by the time we got there.

“The fire was out when crews arrived but a ground floor flat was heavily smoke logged and we traced the fire to a grill pan which had been left on.”

Assistant Divisional Officer Chris Noakes said: “Incidents like this show how even the smallest fire in a kitchen can cause huge problems.

“If a fire does break out in your kitchen the do not attempt to tackle it yourself. Just get yourself and your family out and call the fire service - we can deal with the fire safely and quickly.

“The best advice I can give is make sure that you fit, and regularly test, a smoke alarm. It is the single most important piece of safety equipment in any home. A smoke alarm provides vital warning that a fire has broken out waking sleeping people up and giving everyone time to get safely out.”

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service issued the following advice to stay safe in the kitchen:

- Avoid leaving cooking unattended and never leave children in the kitchen alone.

- Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.

- Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.

- Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.

- Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.

- Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls

- Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.

- Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily. If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool. Ideally cook oven chips but if you are deep fat frying then use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer - they can’t overheat.