Kitchen fire in Waltham Abbey
Crews were called to a kitchen fire in Waltham Abbey tonight, when a pan was left unattended and caught fire.
Firefighters were called to a flat in Darby Drive at 8:49pm.
On arrival, crews confirmed that there was a fire in the kitchen, and the entire property was smoke-logged.
Crews worked hard to extinguish the fire by 9:30pm, and then cleared the property of smoke.
Mav Langdon, Crew Manager at Waltham Abbey Fire Station, said “Fortunately, the resident involved in this incident had working smoke alarms in the property, which alerted her to the fire in the kitchen.
Smoke alarms really do save lives! We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home, that you test them at least once a month.”
Tips for safe cooking
- Take care when cooking with oil - it gets very got and can set alight easily
- Never leave cooking unattended
- Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob. Keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach to keep them safe
- Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out to avoid them being 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
If you discover a grease fire in your kitchen, never try to use water to extinguish the flames. Throwing water on the fire can cause grease to splash, which will cause the fire to spread and cause further damage and/or injuries. Instead, get out, stay out and call 999.
Could you be an on-call firefighter?
Some of our firefighters from Waltham Abbey are on-call Firefighters, who live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station.
If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter too.
Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call