Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

St James Street, Penzance at 15/02/2008 23:57

Two fire appliances from Penzance were quickly in attendance at a report of a smoke alarm sounding in a flat with a smell of smoke and someone inside. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus forced entry into the heavily smoke-logged flat to rescue the casualty. The fire, in the kitchen of a first floor flat in a three storey end-of-terrace building, was extinguished using one hosereel.

The casualty was conveyed to hospital by ambulance suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

General Fire Safety Advice:
Cooking
Don't cook if you're affected by alcohol or prescription drugs.
Don't leave pans on the hob when you're not around. Take them off the heat if you have to leave the kitchen.
When cooking, take care if you're wearing loose clothing as it can easily catch fire. Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
Never leave children alone in the kitchen. Keep matches, lighters and saucepan handles where children can't reach them and fit a safety catch on the oven door.
Keep the oven, hob, toaster and grill clean - a build-up of fat, crumbs or grease can easily catch fire.
Don't use matches or lighters to light gas cookers - spark devices, which you can buy from hardware stores, are safer.
Angle saucepan handles so they don't stick out from the hob, or over a naked flame.
Don't put anything that is made of metal or is metallic inside the microwave.
When you have finished cooking, make sure you switch off the oven and hob.