Kitchen fire, Chadwell St Mary
Crews were called to a property on Oxford Avenue, Chadwell St Mary, at 4:15pm today when occupants discovered a fire in their home.
On arrival, firefighters confirmed there was a fire in the kitchen, caused by a pan which had been left on the hob.
Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 4:38pm, and cleared the property of smoke.
Station Manager, Kevin Smith, at Orsett Fire Station, said: “It’s really important to keep cooker surfaces clear of flammable objects. Even after cooking, hobs remain hot for some time and items left on top can easily catch fire.
“Fortunately, the occupants had closed the door between the kitchen and living area which prevented the fire and smoke from spreading through the rest of the property. We’d highly recommend keeping the kitchen door closed while cooking and for a while afterwards as it can buy you and your family the time you need to escape safely in the event of a fire.”
Please follow our safety advice for cooking safely:
- Take care when cooking with oil - it gets very got and can set alight easily
- Never leave cooking unattended or leave the house while the open or hob is in use
- Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob.
- Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove
- Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob
- Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking
Could you be an on-call firefighter?
Some of the firefighters who attended this incident are on-call firefighters, who live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and are paid to attend incidents in their community.
If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter.
Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call