Fire after pan left unattended

Just after midnight last night (Wednesday December 10) fire crews were called to a ground floor flats in Arthur Road where there was a small fire as a result of a pan being left unattended on a hob.

The flat was smoke logged and male occupant led to safety by firefighters and medically assessed by ambulance paramedics.

More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking and many happen when people are not paying attention, or they leave cooking unattended.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue have the following advice for avoiding a fire in a kitchen:

- Don’t let yourself be distracted while cooking.

- If you’re called away from the cooker - by the phone or someone at the door, for example - take pans off the heat.

- Don’t cook if you’re affected by alcohol or prescription drugs.

- Turn saucepans so that their handles don’t stick out, and aren’t over another ring.

- Don’t put oven gloves or tea-towels down onto the hot cooker after you’ve used them.

- Clean your grill pan after using it.

- Take extra care when deep-fat frying or cooking with oil. Use a thermostat controlled deep-fat fryer which will make sure the fat doesn’t get too hot

Dealing with a fire in your kitchen

If you do have a fire in the kitchen, don’t take any risks - get everyone out of your home and call 999.

If a pan catches fire:

- Don’t move it - it is likely to be extremely hot;

- Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so, but never lean over a pan to reach the controls;

- Place a fire blanket over the pan, if you have one;

- Don’t use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil - the force of the extinguisher can spread the fire; and leave the pan to cool completely if you have put the fire out.

If you do have a chip pan fire:

- Never move the pan;

- Turn off the heat only if it’s safe for you to do so; and

- Never use water on chip pan fires as this will cause a fireball.

If you have an electrical fire in the kitchen:

- Pull the plug out, or switch off the power at the fuse box - this may be enough to stop the fire immediately;

- Smother the fire with a fire blanket, or use a dry powder or carbon dioxide extinguisher; and

- Remember - never use water on an electrical fire.