Crews called to five cooking fires in one day

Firefighters are warning people to never leave their cooking unattended after crews across Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were called to five kitchen fires in one day.

Two fire engines from fire stations in Heywood and Oldham were called to Fourth Avenue in the Limeside area of Oldham at 11.28am on Thursday 9 August.

A pan of food had been left on an electric cooker and set on fire but was out by the time crews arrived.

A few hours later, at 6.49pm, the same crews from Oldham were called to a second cooking fire on St Martin's Road in the Fitton Hill area, along with a fire engine from Hollins.

This time a grill pan on a gas oven had caught fire after being left unattended.

Firefighters carried out a Home Safety Check, fitting smoke alarms to the house after making the gas oven safe.

At 9.28pm, a fire engine from Moss Side and one from Salford were called to a fire involving a pan of oil which had been left unattended on a cooker in a ground-floor flat within the Linen Quarter apartment block in Hulme.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus put the fire out using a hose reel before using a fan to disperse the smoke. They arranged to return to the apartments to carry out a Home Safety Check.

Firefighters from Manchester Central and Phillip's Park fire stations were called to a chip pan fire in a ninth-floor flat on Gunson Street in the Miles Platting area at 11.06pm.

Left unattended on the hob, the owner had been alerted to the burning food by a smoke alarm and the blaze was out by the time fire crews arrived.

Just before midnight, at 11.57pm, crews from Oldham were called out to their third cooking fire of the day along with a crew from Chadderton.

They attended a first-floor flat on Bentley Street where a grill pan, which had been left unattended, caught fire.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus put the fire out and dispersed the smoke with a fan before carrying out a Home Safety Check.

Chairman of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton said: "It is so easy to get distracted in the kitchen but as we can see from these incidents yesterday, that is how fires start.

"It is lucky that no one was injured in these incidents. It only takes a few seconds for a serious fire to start so remember to never leave cooking unattended and to dry food before putting it in oil.

"If the oil starts to smoke, turn off the heat and leave the pan to cool. Never fill a pan more than one-third full of oil and never throw water over the pan and remember to keep grill pans clean."