Smoke alarm alerts occupant to kitchen fire

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

Crews were called to a property in Frederick Andrews Court at 7:59pm tonight, when a smoke alarm alerted a man to a fire in his kitchen.

On arrival, firefighters confirmed the property was heavily smoke-logged as a result of burnt cooking and a man in his seventies had suffered from smoke inhalation.

Crews worked to make the property safe and cleared the flat of smoke by 8:23pm. The occupant was left in the care of the Ambulance Service.

Watch Manager, Mark Hampton, at Grays Fire Station said: “Kitchen fires are surprisingly common, so it’s really important to stay alert when cooking.

“Fortunately, this property had working smoke alarms which alerted the man to the fire and the damage was contained to the kitchen.”

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