Firefighters are warning people not to leave their cooking unattended following a lucky escape for a family living on Page Close in Dagenham on Saturday morning.
Fire investigators believe that a fire started in the kitchen when a pan including oil was left on the hob unattended. The occupier heard a loud noise and noticed the smoke; they immediately evacuated the house while a neighbour called the Brigade. The two adults and their two children were thankfully uninjured.
The whole kitchen was damaged in the fire plus a section of the living room and the entire house had smoke damage.
A Brigade spokesperson said: “You should never leave cooking unattended – if you have to leave the room or the house, turn the heat off.”
The Brigade’s safety cooking tips include:
• Take pans off the heat and turn off the hob and/or grill if you have to leave the kitchen while cooking, and make sure the oven, hob and grill is turned off when you have finished cooking.
• Avoid cooking if you are tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that can make you drowsy.
• Keep handles of pans turned to the back of the hob and away from other gas burners/electric rings.
Four fire engines and 21 firefighters form Barking, Ilford, Dagenham and Hornchurch stations attended the scene.
The Brigade was called at 0952 and the fire was under control by 1041.