Oil overheats causing kitchen fire

Firefighters were called to a property in Chadwell St. Mary this morning, after a mum discovered a fire in her kitchen.

Crews were called to Hill House Drive at 11:39am.

On arrival, firefighters confirmed there was a fire in the kitchen, caused by a pan of oil which had overheated.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 12:07pm, and cleared the flat of smoke.

Crew Manager, Mark Twin, at Grays Fire Station, said: “More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking. It’s really important to keep an eye on food while it’s cooking as fires can start easily and spread quickly.

“Fortunately, we were able to extinguish the fire quickly and damage was contained to the kitchen.”

This was one of two fires we attended today which were caused by cooking with oil.

Watch Manager, Sharon Blute, at Braintree Fire Station, added: “Take special care when cooking with hot oil. Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.  If the oil starts to smoke, that means it’s too hot - turn off the heat and leave it to cool”.

Follow our cooking safety advice to stay safe in your kitchen:

• If you need to leave the kitchen while cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to reduce the risk of fires starting
• 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. This helps to make sure they don’t get knocked off the stove
• Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – this can easily catch fire
• Keep tea towels, cloths and other flammable objects away from the cooker and hob
• Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking
• Keep your oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire
• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer where possible as they cannot overheat
• If your pan catches fire, turn off the heat if it is safe to do so, and never throw water over it

Do you have working smoke alarms?

We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home.

You can book a free Home Fire Safety visit by either popping into your local fire station, calling 0300 303 0088 or booking a visit online at www.essex-fire.gov.uk/book