Firefighters have issued a cooking safety reminder after a flat fire on Union Road in Selhurst last night.
High risk: more house fires start in the kitchen than in any other room
Part of a flat on the first floor of a residential building was damaged by fire.
One woman and a child were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.
The cause of the fire is believed to have involved cooking.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home.
“Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill – if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.”
The Brigade was called at 7.42pm and the fire was under control by 8.20pm. Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters from Beckenham, Mitcham and Forest Hill fire stations attended the scene.
Firefighters’ cooking safety tips:
- Have a heat alarm fitted in your kitchen. Fitting a heat alarm in your kitchen will give you warning of an increase in temperature caused by a fire but will not be set off by cooking fumes
- Not feeling 100 per cent? Order a takeaway – if you’re very tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that might make you drowsy, it’s safer not to risk it
- Be fabric aware – loose clothing can easily catch fire, so take care not to lean over a hot hob, and always keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob
- Double check the cooker and hob are turned off when you’ve finished cooking
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Would have been good if the LFB mentioned the tip “use the microwave oven” under the “not feeling too great” heading. Plus having a fire blanket or small powder extinguisher where they can be accessed quickly. I need to get one.
In my experience, it is leaving on a very very low flame on the smallest burner that goes un-noticed and gets forgotten. Frightening ! I am wondering if modern cookers have a detection device that switches off the gas or electricity if there is no pan on the burner after a minute or so?