Warning after kitchen blazes

The fire was at Chequer Street in the town on Saturday, one of four kitchen fires in the county in three days.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is asking people to be more careful when cooking.

Firefighters were called at 12.47 on April 21, to a fire in Chesford Road, Luton. They used a fire hose to quickly put out the small fire and used Water Gel packs to assist a male casualty suffering from burns to his hand.

The Chequer Streetfire was on Saturday morning.

When the Community Fire Station arrived they found it was already out. One female casualty was treated by the Ambulance Service and smoke was cleared from the property using Positive Pressure Ventilation.

Please take care when cooking as small fires can quickly turning in big fires and cause serious damage and injury. Follow these tips to stay safe in the kitchen:

>Always take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid the risk of fire if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking.

>f a pan catches fire, don’t take any risks – Get Out, Stay Out, and Call 999.

>When you’ve finished cooking double check the hob is completely off.

>Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.

>Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – this can easily catch fire.

>Keep matches and saucepan handles out of children’s reach and don’t leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking.

>Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water

>Place grills and hot pans away from curtains and kitchen rolls.

>A build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire so keep kitchen equipment clean and in good working order.

>Never cook after drinking alcohol.

>Be careful that hot cooking oil doesn’t overheat as it can catch fire easily.

>Never throw water on a chip pan fire.

>In the event of a fire, have an escape plan in place.

>Get a smoke alarm and test it weekly.

For more information on fire safety, please visit www.facebook.com/firekills or the Cooking Safety page of the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Website at: bit.ly/1L4Mzbj