Northwich News
Fire crews offer advice after grill pan causes blaze in Northwich home
8:00am Monday 20th February 2012
NORTHWICH residents fled their home after a grill pan caught fire and sparked a ‘potentially serious’ kitchen blaze.
Fire crews were called to Malpas Road at about 9.55pm, on February 15, and used a hose reel water jet to tackle the flames before they took hold of the property.
A large fan was also used to clear heavy smoke logging.
The occupants had managed to leave their property without suffering any injuries.
Following the incident, and as part of National Cooking Safety Month, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has renewed its plea for people to stay safe and take extra care when in the kitchen.
Evan Morris, head of Community Fire Safety, said: "With more than half of all house fires we attend starting in the kitchen, it is important that we do all we can to spread the message about how to stay safe while cooking.
"There are a few simple steps people can take such as never leaving cooking unattended, ensuring ovens and grill pans are kept clean and taking care not to leave tea towels next to hot hobs.”
Officers are also reminding residents of the importance of fully-functioning smoke detectors, which activated as a result of the Malpas Road blaze.
The alarms at the Northwich property had been fitted during a routine home safety assessment in 2009.
>CHESHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has issued some top tips for staying safe while cooking.
These include: • Taking pans off the heat if you are called away from the cooker - for example when someone rings the phone or visitors arrive.
• If you are affected by alcohol or prescription drugs, you should not attempt to cook.
• Do not put oven gloves or tea towels down on the cooker after you have used them.
• Always clean the grill pan after using it.
• Keep electrical leads away from the cooker and from water.
• Clothing and tea towels should be kept away from the cooker.
• If a pan catches fire, do not take risks - get everyone out of your home and call the fire and rescue service • The safest way to deep fry is to use a thermostat-controlled electric deep fat fryer. The thermostat will stop it from overheating.