Advice after rise in Spalding kitchen fires

Description:

Spalding residents are being warned about the dangers of leaving cooking unattended after a rise in the number of kitchen fires.

So far this year there have been a total of 168 fires that have started in the kitchen of homes across Lincolnshire, resulting in a dramatic rise in the number of people injured. So far this year 27 have been hurt and one person has died as a result of kitchen fires, up from 18 people hurt last year.

Garry Speed, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue community safety co-ordinator said: "Every year around 700 people are killed, and 7,000 are injured in kitchen fires in this country, and one of the most common causes is poorly maintained kitchen equipment.

"One of the things that we frequently find is a build-up of fat in grill pans and oven trays which has been forgotten about. The grill or oven is then switched on and eventually this build-up could ignite."

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue has this advice for people across Spalding and South Holland:
• never leave cooking unattended. If you need to leave the kitchen, make a phone call, or answer the door, turn everything off
• avoid cooking when excess alcohol has been consumed. Have a sandwich or order a take-away instead
• ensure that fat is not allowed to build up in the grill pan or on the top of the cooker
• ensure smoke alarms are fitted in your home. Some of the newer ones have a "hush" button, which silences the alarm if it activates during cooking.