Warnings issued following chip pan fire

On Tuesday 4 July, at 17:04, we were called to reports of a pan fire. 

Fire crews from Stockhill and Highfields Fire Station attended this incident, and upon arrival found a small fire located in the kitchen of the property in Radford. 

The cause of the fire has been deemed as accidental. 

The occupant was present at the time of the fire and tried to extinguish it themselves by placing the oil pan on fire under the tap in the kitchen sink – this isn’t something that any fire and rescue service would recommend. Luckily, and thankfully, the occupier was okay, and the fire didn’t escalate or spread. 

Although we ask people to never tackle a fire, especially a pan fire, it is very common, and we often go to incidents like this one.

When you add water to a burning chip pan the oil is hotter than the boiling point of water. Therefore, the water is superheated and expands rapidly as steam. This then splashes, spatters, and vaporises, carrying burning oil to create a huge fireball. Many fire and rescue services have done demonstrations showing these dangers, and you can watch the video produced by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service below. 

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have also produced a video based on the facts around chip pan fires. You can watch it below.

July is cooking safety month, so we are using this opportunity to highlight the dangers of using chip pans. 

District Prevention Manager, Dan Palmer, said:

We always encourage people to choose a different way to cook, as using hot oil and cooking food that releases a lot of fat can overheat and catch fire easily.

However, if you need to use a chip pan, we want you to do it safely."

He added: "Never leave cooking unattended, ensure pets and children are away from the area and ensure there are no combustible items nearby.

 “Unfortunately, fires do still occur, so we ask you to never tackle the fire yourselves. The safest thing to do is to get everybody out of the house via your appropriate escape route and dial 999. Never try to carry the burning pan of oil as this can lead to serious burns and further fire spread.

 “We urge you to NEVER use water on the fire as this will make the oil explode and could set fire to much more as a result.

 “This incident was thankfully resolved extremely quickly, however that won’t be the case for all incidents. 

My final reminder is for everyone to have a working smoke alarm on every floor of your property. These need to be tested regularly and replaced every ten years. They really do give vital time in an emergency, and consequently, save lives."

You can read more safety advice, especially around kitchen and cooking safety, on our website. You can also refer yourself, or somebody you may know, for a Safe and Well Visit.