Kitchen fire sparks warning
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.”
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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.
