Five cooking fires in one night

Sixty per cent of house fires start in the kitchen – usually as a result of somebody being distracted

Fire crews dealt with five cooking fires in one night due to people being distracted.

Pans were left unattended on cookers which caused fires across Greater Manchester. 

Area Manager Dave Keelan, Head of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Services, said: "It’s a relief that the people involved in these incidents escaped relatively unscathed, but they will still have to face the upset of getting the damage to their homes fixed.

"Sixty per cent of house fires start in the kitchen – usually as a result of somebody being distracted, even for just a few seconds. You should never leave cooking unattended, even to answer the phone or the door.

"And remember that a working smoke alarm will give you those precious seconds to escape in the event of a fire." 

At 11.24pm on Wednesday, April 25, crews from Withington were called to Moseley Court sheltered housing accommodation in Moseley Road, Levenshulme, after a fire involving a pan of food on a cooker in a ground-floor flat.

A 70-year-old man was treated at the scene by firefighters before being taken to hospital suffering slight effects of smoke inhalation.

Crews from Withington and Wythenshawe were called to Broad Oak Lane in Didsbury at 1.41am on Thursday, April 26, after the occupier fell asleep with a pan of food on the cooker.

Just before 4am, crews from Bolton North and Bolton Central were called to Brookland Grove, Smithills, after a chip pan was left unattended.

A 28-year-old woman suffering smoke inhalation was given oxygen by trauma technicians while other firefighters carried out a Home Safety Check.

The fire left the house smoke damaged and the woman was taken to The Royal Bolton Hospital by ambulance.

Two fire engines from Broughton were called to Duncombe Street, Salford, at 5.35am after a fire involving cooking oil in the kitchen of a semi-detached house.

An 18-year-old woman was given oxygen by firefighters after suffering slight effects of smoke inhalation.

Then at 5.50am, crews from Atherton and Bolton Central were called to a flat in Cravenwood Rise in Westhoughton after a plastic chopping broad left on a cooker caught fire.

A 39-year-old woman was given oxygen after suffering slight effects of smoke inhalation.

For further advice on fire safety in the kitchen, visit http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/fire_safety_advice/home_fire_safety/safety_in_kitchen.aspx  

For a free Home Safety Check, which may include the fitting of smoke alarms, please contact Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on 0800 555 815 or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/fire_safety_advice/home_fire_risk_assessments.aspx