A saucepan which had been left on the hob unattended sparked a flat fire on Wednesday morning in Purfleet.
Neighbours of the property were alerted to the fire by the smoke alarms and they could see smoke pouring out of the flat in Windermere Avenue.
When fire crews arrived at the address they managed to quickly gain access to the flat and extinguish the fire. The flat has suffered some smoke damage, but luckily crews managed to stop the fire developing into a much more serious fire.
Firefighters cleared the smoke from the property and left the scene at 11am.
Incidents like this show how important it is to never leave cooking unattended. More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking – here is our cooking safety advice to stay safe in your kitchen:
Take care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk
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 off the stove
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
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service wants to ensure that every single home in Essex has the excellent protection smoke alarms offer and will visit any home in Essex and fit smoke alarms completely FREE of charge.
To arrange your home safety visit, or if you know anyone who would benefit from a visit, please call us: 0300 303 0088 or go to our website: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/book.
