Smoke alarm alerts family to kitchen fire

Firefighters were called to a property in Basildon this evening, after a fire started in the kitchen.

Crews were called to Fauners, Basildon, at 9:24pm tonight when a smoke alarm alerted a parent to a fire in the family kitchen.

On entering the house, firefighters confirmed there was a fire in the kitchen, caused by pizza boxes which were left on the hob and had ignited.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 9:49pm, and cleared the flat of smoke.

Watch Manager, Mark Blakebrough, at Basildon Fire Station, said: “It’s really important to keep cooker surfaces clear of flammable objects. 

“Fortunately, this property had working smoke alarms which alerted the family to the fire. We were able to extinguish the fire quickly and damage was contained to the kitchen.”

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

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

Did you know… More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking?

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