Woman treated for smoke inhalation after chip pan catches fire

At approximately 1900 hours on Wednesday, 4 June, the Emergency Services Control Centre received a 999 call reporting a kitchen fire at a residential address in St. Helier.

The caller, who was the occupant of the property, stated that a pan had caught fire and that she was evacuating the premises.

Western on-call firefighters, who were training at Headquarters at the time, were immediately dispatched to the scene, supported by a whole-time fire appliance.

Upon arrival, crews were met by the visibly distressed occupant who was complaining of symptoms consistent with smoke inhalation.

Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the first-floor flat, where they quickly confirmed the fire had been extinguished, which originated from a chip pan on the stove.

Ventilation of the property was then carried out to remove residual smoke.

The occupant was assessed at the scene by attending paramedics and received medical and welfare checks.

She was later allowed to return to the premises once it had been declared safe.

Watch Commander Ryan, who attended the incident, said: “This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of cooking with open chip pans. They can easily overheat and ignite, especially if left unattended, leading to potentially devastating fires. We strongly urge people to consider switching to thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers, which are a much safer alternative."

Open chip pans carry several risks, including:

• Rapid overheating and ignition
• Risk of burns while attempting to move or extinguish a burning pan
• Quick spread of fire to nearby surfaces
• Significant smoke generation leading to inhalation risks

For more home fire safety advice, including safe cooking tips and information on smoke alarms, visit our website.