The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has issued advice on keeping safe in the home as a result of a recent rise in the number of domestic cooker fires.
Firefighters respond to a whole variety of incidents week in, week out but there has been a noticeable increase in the number of fires involving cookers.
Here are some top tips to keeping safe in 2020:
Cooker and toaster safety
• turn saucepans so the handles don’t stick out over the edge of the hob or over another ring
• double check that the cooker is off when you have finished cooking
• make sure tea-towels aren’t hanging over the cooker and don’t put oven gloves on top of a hot cooker
• keep the oven, hob and grill clean – built-up fat and bits of food can start a fire
• check that the toaster is clean and well away from curtains and empty the crumb tray regularly
Cooking with oil
You need to be especially careful when you are deep-fat frying or cooking with oil because hot oil can catch fire easily. Make sure you:
• don’t fill a chip pan or other deep-fat fryer more than one-third full of oil
• Chuck out your old chip pan and use a thermostat-controlled deep-fat fryer instead, which will make sure the fat doesn’t get too hot
Dealing with a fire
• If a pan catches fire in your kitchen:
• don’t move it because it will be very hot
• turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so – don’t lean over the pan to reach the controls
• don’t use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil because the force of the extinguisher can spread the fire
• never use water on chip pan fires as this will cause a fireball, get everyone out, and close the kitchen door,
Most importantly if there is a fire, get out, stay out and call 999.
Did you know the majority of house fires occur in the kitchen? For safety information concerning cooking and kitchen appliances visit https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/keeping-safe/loveyourhome/firehazards/kitchen/.
Um, use a microwave?