Firefighters issue warning after chip pan fire

Firefighters have issued a chip pan safety warning after a fire in Westcliff last night (Saturday 14 August).

Fire crews were called to a fire in a kitchen cause by an unattended chip pan which had overheated and set light.

Crew Manager Adam Patterson said:

"The occupant got distracted after putting the chip pan on and it caught fire. The occpuant was only alerted to the fire due to the electrics tripping which turned the television off.

"The property also did not have any working smoke alarms - if it did, the occupant would have been alerted much earlier which would hve enabled us to be called quicker and the damage to be much less.

"Smoke alarms save lives - they give you an early warning of a fire so you can get out, stay out and call the fire sevice out. If you don[t have working smoke alarms, we can fit them completely free of charge. Go to our website to book: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/book

When cooking with oil:

• Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily
• Never leave cooking unattended
• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash
• If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot.  Turn off the heat and leave it to cool
• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat
• If your pan catches fire, turn off the heat if it is safe to do so. Never throw water or a damp tea towel over it