Firefighters had their hands full yesterday as two separate chip pan fires left one victim injured and both suffering smoke inhalation in Greater Manchester.
Residents are being urged to ‘ban the pan’ and avoid further chip catastrophes after fire crews were called to an incident on St George’s Road, Bolton, when an unattended chip pan caught fire setting off the smoke alarm.
At the same time, a pensioner from Whitley Road, Stockport, suffered burns after trying to put out a fire caused by another unattended chip pan.
Chairman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton, said: “Thankfully nobody was seriously injured as a result of these fires but they show just how dangerous chip pans can be.
“Despite the hard work of crews and community safety staff to reduce the number of accidental house and spread the messages of cooking safety, more than half of fires in the home still start in the kitchen.”
The Bolton woman was rescued and taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation, with crews returning to the area today to offer advice about safe cooking.
The elderly man was treated at the scene for his injuries and smoke inhalation but opted not to go to hospital.
Greater Manchester fire and rescue service are asking residents to user safer cooking alternatives such as deep fat fryers or oven chips.
Councillor Acton said: “Any kind of pan can catch fire if you get distracted so please ensure you stand by your pan while cooking. Follow our simple advice to avoid becoming a victim of fire and if you don’t have a working smoke alarm make sure you get one today – it could save your life.”
For further advice on keeping your home safe from fires, click here.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
