Put kitchen care top of your Christmas list

GREATER Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is running a campaign to tackle house fires in Oldham. In the run up to Christmas and Eid, officers are focusing on the three Cs — cooking, candles and cigarettes — to raise awareness and reduce the number of incidents.

In the first of three features, reporter BEATRIZ AYALA speaks to one resident left traumatised by kitchen fire.


WITH the festive season fast approaching, all thoughts turn to fun and feasting.

Families head back to the kitchen to dish up delicious treats whether for Christmas or Eid alike.

But with all the frantic fuss that goes with large family gatherings comes the increased risks of kitchen fires.

Fires can start in kitchens at any time of year, but particularly at times of celebration when more people are in the home and cooks can easily become distracted.

With the excitement and stress of a big family meal, it can become all too easy to forget about basic fire prevention advice. Some 70 per cent of all accidental fires in the home in Oldham start in the kitchen, which is why fire crews are urging residents from all communities to do all they can to be safe.

A significant number of cooking-related fires start following an evening out between 10pm and 4am, when people start to cook something and then fall asleep.

The kitchen can be the most dangerous place in the home, something that Sholver resident Katy Roberts (19) knows all too well.

Mother to little Aliya, Katy, from Bronte Close, has been been left traumatised after her grill pan caught fire in October.

She said: “My cousin was cooking food under the gas grill inside the oven but forgot to turn it off after he finished.

“While we were sat in the other room, the grill caught fire and it was only when he popped back to the kitchen that he said there was a fire. I thought he was joking until he opened the door and the cooker had turned black. The smoke alarms, which are positioned at the bottom and top of the stairs, didn’t go off. We all panicked.”

Katy grabbed her daughter and ran out of the house to call the fire brigade, while her father managed to throw the burning grill pan outside.

She said: “The grill was only left for five minutes, but it could have been much worse had we not gone back in. I used to cook on the grill all the time but now I’m scared of it and try to use the hobs or microwave.”

Simon Wheelwright, community fire safety officer, said: “A house fire can be devastating at any time of the year, but particularly so at Christmas, so we are urging people to remember fire prevention advice as they enjoy themselves.”

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is holding a fire safety event tomorrow at Tesco, Featherstall Road, between 10am and 4pm.

Residents who discover a fire should get out of the house, shutting the door if possible, and dial 999.

Book a free home fire risk assessment by calling 0800 555 815 or visiting www.manchesterfire.gov.uk



Be safe... not sorry



Cookers and microwaves

Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from your cooker.

Keep your oven, hob and grill clean as a build up of fat and grease can easily catch fire.

Don’t put anything metallic such a cutlery or tin cans inside the microwave.

Never put a sponge or dishcloth in the microwave – it could catch fire.




Electrics

Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water.

Check the toaster is away from curtains and kitchen rolls and not directly under kitchen units when in use.

Turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used and service them regularly.

Don’t overload sockets – only use one plug in each socket.

If you have to use more than one plug per socket, use a fused adaptor and keep the total output to no more than 13 amps.


Chip pans

Always dry the food before you put it in oil.

Never fill a pan more than one-third full of oil. If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot so turn off the heat and leave it to cool.

Swap your chip pan for an electric deep fat fryer.