Safety first in kitchen advises Fire Service

OVER the past 24 hours, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service have attended two kitchen fires in the Swansea area.

At 05:51pm yesterday, Monday 6th January 2020, crews from Morriston attended a fire at a two-storey detached property in Cwmgelli Road, Morriston, Swansea.

The fire was confined to a chip pan and was extinguished before the arrival of the Fire Service.

An elderly female was conveyed to hospital by the Ambulance Service.

Firefighters ventilated the property and left the incident at 06:38pm.

At 01:45am on Tuesday 7th January 2020, crews from Swansea Central and Swansea West attended a fire at a property in David Williams Terrace, Port Tennant, Swansea.

The fire involved a toaster in the kitchen of a ground floor flat and had caused the property to become smoke logged. Firefighters led a male occupant to safety and treated the individual for smoke inhalation.

The fire was extinguished by the removal of the toaster from the property and the flat was ventilated using a positive pressure ventilation fan.

The Fire Service left the incident at 02:38am.

Station Manager Neil Evans, Deputy Head of Community Safety said “Between January 2019 and January 2020, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service have attended 323 kitchen fires. Whether you are a novice in the kitchen or consider your culinary skills worthy of a Michelin Star, safety must come first!

Please heed the following advice to cook safely:

• 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 – so they don’t get knocked over

• Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – this can easily catch fire.

• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.

• Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking.

• Take care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking – take pans off the heat or turn hobs down to avoid risk.

You must also take care with electrics

• Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.

• Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls.

• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.

If you must deep fat fry your food

• Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily.

• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.

• If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.

• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.

If your pan catches fire

• Don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so. Never throw water over it.

• Don’t tackle the fire yourself – Get Out, Stay Out, Call 999.

Finally, please ensure that you have working smoke alarms installed; test them every week and make sure that you have a clear escape route. We urge the public to stay safe and to contact us on 0800 169 1234 at any time if they require advice on being safe from fire and how to reduce the risk of a fire starting in the first place.”

To request a free Safe and Well from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, please visit our website www.mawwfire.gov.uk or telephone 0800 169 1234.