Marlborough: Chip pan fire safety for National Chip Week

The Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service are working with the Fire Kills campaign the warn the public of the danger deep fat frying pans in conjunction with National Chip Week.

Last year, the fire and rescue service found half of all accidental fires in the home in England were linked to cooking using deep fat frying pans with around 4,000 injuries. 

Watch Manager Neil Chamberlain said: "Think about what you are doing when you are deep fat frying. You're heating a large volume of oil to extremely high temperatures."

"The oil can cause terrible burns, and it can go up in flames."

Tips on how to stay safe in the kitchen

•    Never fill a deep fat fryer no more than a third of the way up

•    Do not leave cooking unattended

•    If the oil begins to smoke it is too hot

•    Don't attempt to cook using a deep fat frying pan if you have consumed alcohol

•    Keep children out the kitchen when cooking at all times

•    If the pan catches fire do not attempt to move the pan

•    NEVER throw water over the pan as it will cause a reaction with the oil and create a fireball

•    Sound the alarm and call 999

"Homemade chips are great, but the safest way to deep fry is to use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer rather than the chip pan, as the thermostat stops it from over heating- or even better, use oven chips!" Neil Chamberlain added.