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Home » News & Events » 2012 » January » Chip Pan Causes Scare

Chip Pan Causes Scare

Crews were alerted at around 1.50pm following the activation of a smoke alarm at the Henwick House flats in St Clements Close, and three fire engines from Worcester fire station were sent to the address.

Crews arrived to find that a pan of oil in the kitchen had overheated, causing extensive smoke logging throughout the flat. Firefighters led an elderly woman out of the property to safety and she was treated at the scene by paramedics for the effects of smoke inhalation. Crews then used positive pressure ventilation to clear the smoke from the property.

There was slight smoke damage in the kitchen as a result of the incident but other flats were unaffected.

Watch Commander Keith Peters from HWFRS praised residents at the flats for following fire safety procedures during the incident. He said: “While an early alert from the smoke alarm helped minimise the impact of this incident, the co-operation from the occupants of nearby flats also played a part and I’d like to pass on my thanks to them.”

He also reminded people to take note of the Fire Service’s kitchen safety advice which recommends that cooking is never left unattended and that extra care is taken when using hot fat. HWFRS also recommends deep fat fryers with thermostatic switches to prevent overheating as a safer option.