A “STARK” warning has been issued by the fire service about the dangers of cooking with open chip pans after a blaze at a first-floor flat in St Helier.
A woman had to be treated by paramedics for symptoms of smoke inhalation following the incident on Wednesday evening.
The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service first received a call at around 7pm from the occupant of the flat, with on-call firefighters dispatched to the scene.
On arrival, crews were met by the “visibly distressed” resident who was “complaining of symptoms consistent with smoke inhalation”.
The woman was treated at the scene while two firefighters entered the flat with breathing apparatus and confirmed the fire was out.
The woman later returned to her flat once it was safe to do so.
Watch commander Richard Ryan, who attended the incident, said: “This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of cooking with open chip pans. They can easily overheat and ignite, especially if left unattended, leading to potentially devastating fires. We strongly urge people to consider switching to thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers, which are a much safer alternative.”
The JFRS has issued a reminder of the risks of open chip pans:
• Rapid overheating and ignition
• Risk of burns while attempting to move or extinguish a burning pan
• Quick spread of fire to nearby surfaces
• Significant smoke generation leading to inhalation risks
Fire safety advice can be found at: jerseyfire.je/
