The Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to take care whilst cooking after three kitchen fires led to casualties over the weekend.
On Saturday evening (19 March), fire crews were called to two house fires within minutes of each other. The first, just before 8pm was to a property in West Pilton Rise. A pan of food had gone on fire in the ground floor flat. A 26-year-old man was led to safety from his living room by firefighters. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for a precautionary check up.
At around the same time in Beechwood Road, Blackburn, West Lothian the kitchen of a two-storey house was on fire, again starting with a pan of food alight. The male occupant, aged 29, was led to safety by firefighters who administered oxygen and first aid. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and burns to his hands, and was taken to St John’s Hospital by ambulance.
Then in the early hours of this morning (21 March) a neighbour in Hawthorn Road, Galashiels in the Scottish Borders smelled burning at 1.20am.
A pan of food had been left on a cooker and four occupants were checked over at the scene for smoke inhalation. There was no smoke detector in the house so firefighters fitted two alarms before leaving the scene. Fortunately, because of an alert neighbour only the kitchen was smoke damaged and no one was seriously injured.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and orders Fire and Rescue Service said: “Cooking is one of the most common causes of fires in the home. Never leave a pan of food unattended. Don’t cook when you have been drinking, as you are less likely to pay attention to potential risks.
“Make sure you have a working smoke detector in your property y so if you do forget something left on the hob the alarm will be raised quickly giving you vital time to escape and call the emergency services.
“Finally it’s very common for people to burn themselves trying to move a hot/burning pan. It is best not to attempt this but to leave the room, close the door and call the fire and rescue service out.”
