A new mum is warning people to never leave food cooking on an unattended grill pan following a ‘frightening’ fire while home alone with her baby.
Hayley McDermott, 29, was cooking bacon at around noon on Wednesday this week, when she heard her four-month-old daughter Florence crying in the living room of their home in Bracken Close, Birchwood, Warrington.
After tending to her baby for a few minutes she returned to the kitchen to find the grill engulfed in flames.
The Warrington Borough Council worker closed the grill door and attempted to extinguish the fire with a wet towel.
But flames continued to rise up the side of the cooker so she phoned 999 and followed the call handler’s instruction to get out of the house with her daughter and wait for firefighters to arrive.
Two fire engines – one from Warrington Fire Station and one from Birchwood Fire Station – were deployed and the Birchwood crew arrived within minutes.
Firefighters used a hose reel jet and two breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire and a large fan to clear the smoke.
Hayley is delighted with the service provided by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) and wants others to join her in learning lessons from the incident.
She said: “My partner Stuart was at work so I was looking after Florence by myself.
“I was cooking some bacon on top of foil in the grill when I heard her crying in the living room.
“I thought it was safe to leave the bacon unattended as I didn’t realise that cooking food on top of foil in the grill pan can cause a fire, and I was only out of the kitchen for a few minutes.
“But when I returned the grill was completely engulfed in flames. It was frightening.
“I tried to put the fire out myself to no avail but thankfully the firefighters turned up within minutes and were fantastic.
“Thanks to them the fire caused minimal damage. There was just a lot of smoke and soot in the kitchen and I was left with a big cleaning job, but it could have been so much worse.
“I dread to think what could have happened if the issue with Florence was a bigger one and the grill was left unattended for longer.
“I have learnt how dangerous it is to leave food cooking on a grill unattended and to always clean the grill after you have used it.
“I hadn’t cleaned the foil on the grill pan as I didn’t realise that leftover fat and oil on foil can cause a fire.
“We have smoke alarms but the one downstairs didn’t go off as it turns out that its battery needed replacing.
“This has now been replaced.”
Most fires start in the kitchen, with many caused by a build up of fat and oil in grill pans.
The fat and oil can easily ignite when heated, making it essential to clean your grill pan regularly.
Lynsey McVay, CFRS’ Group Manager Service Delivery for Warrington and Halton, said: “I am really glad that mother and baby are okay and that the fire was caught early enough for it not to have spread beyond the grill pan.
“This incident could have been much worse and it is really important that people never leave cooking unattended, always clean the grill pan after using it and have working smoke alarms fitted.
“You should check that your smoke alarms are working once a week by pressing the test button, and every year you should vacuum and wipe the alarm casing to ensure that dust is not blocking the sensor chamber.
“Smoke alarms are so important as they alert you to a fire in your home as soon as possible to give you time to get out safely.
“We would never encourage anyone to tackle a fire in the home themselves. They should just shut the doors to contain it, as long as it’s safe to do so, and get out, stay out and call us out.
“I urge everyone to follow the fire safety advice on our website.”
Top tips to avoid a fire in your kitchen include:
• Watch out if you are wearing loose clothing
• Keep tea towels and cloths away from grills and hobs
• Do not start cooking if you have drunk alcohol or are really tired
• If a grill pan catches fire, do not take risks – get everyone out of your home and call 999
For more home fire safety advice visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/public-safety/home-safety.
To check how safe your home is complete the risk rater at www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/public-safety/home-safety/risk-rater.
