Safety advice issued after unattended frying pan causes blaze at Belper flat

An unattended frying pan is believed to have caused a blaze at a flat in Belper.

Crews from five stations were called to the fire in the first floor of a two-storey converted barn building on Ashbourne Road at about 8.30am this morning.

The aerial-ladder platform from Ascot Drive and a water carrier from Ilkeston were also in attendance.

The occupant of the flat escaped uninjured.

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A Derbyshire fire service spokesman said: “The cause of the blaze has been attributed to a frying pan which was left unattended.”

Paul Green, station manager at the brigade, added: “Fire crews worked hard to contain the fire which was quickly spreading through the roof space of the converted farm building.

Cooking is the major cause of more than 50 per cent of all accidental house fires.

“It’s so easy to become distracted or pop out of the kitchen leaving cooking unattended – but it only takes a few seconds for fire to start leaving behind a trail of devastation.”

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Derbyshire fire service has issued the following safety advice:

• Never leave cooking unattended – if you have to leave the kitchen, take pans off the heat.

• Take care when cooking if you are wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.

• Double check your cooker is off when you have finished cooking.

• Never cook after drinking alcohol.

• Use spark devises rather than matches to light gas cookers – they are safer as they don’t have a naked flame.