Woman and boy rescued from fire in Heywood

A woman and a boy had to be rescued from a fire at a house in Wolsey Street, Heywood yesterday.

Firefighters had to force their way in to the smoke filled property to rescue a 23-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy who had both fallen asleep in the lounge of the house. Both were given oxygen therapy by firefighters and then taken to Fairfield Hospital by ambulance, but later discharged.

Two fire crews from Heywood and a crew from Bury were called at 10.18pm on Saturday 22 March following a 999 call from neighbours who heard the smoke alarm sounding next door.

There was fire damage to the chip pan and some contents of the kitchen and the fire caused smoke damage throughout the semi-detached property.

Watch Manager Gary Phillips from Heywood Fire Station, said: "An unattended chip pan which had been left on the cooker caught fire, thankfully the smoke alarm was heard by neighbours even though the occupants were sound asleep.

"Crew Manager Jim Heyward quickly identified that the property was full of smoke and that there was a high probability that there were still people in the house.

"Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were immediately deployed to do a full search and quickly located and carried out both the young woman and boy to safety.

"Once we had completed the rescue we were able to ventilate the property."

Simple steps for staying safe in the kitchen:

• Never leave cooking unattended 
• Never put water onto or use a fire extinguisher on a hot fat fire 
• If it's safe to do so - turn off the heat but never lean over the pan to reach the controls 
• Leave the kitchen, close the door behind you, tell everyone else in the home to get out and call 999 
• Don't go back into a fire for any reason 
• Remember any type of pan can catch fire - this includes woks, grills or frying pans 
• When deep frying, always dry the food before you put it in the oil 
• Never fill a pan more than one-third full of oil and if the oil starts to smoke - turn off the heat and leave it to cool down 
• Swap your chip pan for an electric deep fat fryer - thermostatically controlled electrical deep fat fryers that plug into the wall are much safer to use