Five kitchen fires in 24 hours

Firefighters tackled five kitchen fires across Greater Manchester in just 24 hours on 6 September most of which began after cooking was left unattended.

Firefighters from Blackley were called to a sheltered housing complex in Middleton at 5.16pm after a tea towel burst into flames.

Crews from Rochdale attended a chip pan fire in a house on Derby Road, Deeplish, at 8.43pm. The fire was out on arrival but caused damage to the hob and extraction fan in the kitchen.

Crews from Wythenshawe were called to a house on Whitburn Road, Newall Green, at 6.48pm after an unattended grill pan set alight.

The resident had left the towel unattended on an electric hob, which they had turned on by mistake instead of the oven.

Crews from Gorton attended a flat on Ryder Brow Road, Gorton, at 6.19pm after a pan of food left on a burning hob set alight.

In Mossley firefighters were called to a property on Hart Mill Close after food in an unattended electric grill pan caught fire at 10.36pm.

No one was injured during these fires and firefighters will be carrying out home safety checks the properties in the coming days.

Chairman of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton said: "Luckily, all those involved in these incidents escaped without injury but they will now face the ordeal of having to repair the damage to their homes.

"It only takes a few seconds for a serious fire to start so remember to never leave cooking unattended.

"Chip pans can be fatal so we would advise anyone with a chip pan to swap it for an electric deep fat fryer which is much safer. Any kind of pan can set alight but it's easy to avoid by not leaving it unattended.

"If a fire does occur, a working smoke alarm could save you vital seconds to save yourself and your property."