ESSEX Firefighters have issued safety advice after a chip pan was left unattended, causing a kitchen fire.
The location was Ellis Close in Orsett.
The occupant of the home, who had briefly gone upstairs while the pan was still on, was alerted by the sound of her smoke alarm to the fire.
She immediately left the property and called 999.
When firefighters arrived, they reported that the terraced house was heavily smoke logged. Fortunately, the majority of fire damage was restricted to the kitchen.
Crew Manager Sam Panzetta said: “This lady was very fortunate that this incident wasn’t more serious.
“It’s easy to be distracted when cooking or worse yet think that it’s safe to leave the room – particularly when using chip pans, that could not be further from the truth. Chip pans can be incredibly volatile – our advice is to avoid using them completely. If you do, keep a close eye on it at all times throughout cooking.
“It’s also a testament to the importance of having a smoke alarm that the lady escaped unharmed. By alerting her to the danger, she was given more time than she would otherwise have had to make a safe exit and call 999.
“That was the perfect response: get out, stay out and call the Fire Service out.”
