Fire crews are warning people not to leave their cooking unattended following a suspected chip pan fire in Wembley .

Residents inside a converted flats in Wembley Park Drive were evacuated in the early hours of Friday (April 28).

The fire broke out on the second floor of the building and its roof.

Eleven people were evacuated from the building and neighbouring properties after a neighbour spotted smoke coming from the flat.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) suspect it was caused by an unattended chip pan fire.

Watch manager Pete Clark said: “While we don’t know the exact circumstances of the fire, incidents like this one clearly show how quickly cooking fires can spread and why it’s vital that you never leave a chip pan on the heat unattended.

“Thankfully, residents in neighbouring flats reported hearing a smoke alarm and so they had an early warning of the danger and were able to evacuate and call us.

“We attend around seven fires a day caused by cooking with over 60% of all household fires start in the kitchen which is why it’s also important to never leave cooking unattended. These residents had a lucky escape.”

The LFB advises people to use a deep fat fryer instead, and has issued the following chip pan safety tips:

  • If you use a chip pan never fill it over a third full with oil or fat
  • Never be tempted to cook with a chip pan after consuming alcohol
  • Never leave the pan alone with the heat on – not even for a few seconds
  • Never put the chips in the pan if the oil has started smoking. Turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool down, or else it could catch fire

And in the event of a fire the Brigade advises:

  • Don’t panic and don’t take risks
  • Don’t move the pan
  • Never throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a hot fat fire
  • If it’s safe to do so - turn off the heat, but never lean over the pan to reach the controls
  • Leave the kitchen, close the door behind you, tell everyone else in the home to get out and don’t go back inside for any reason
  • Call 999

Four fire engines from Wembley, Park Royal and Willesden fire stations attended the incident. The Brigade was called at 12.29am and had the fire under control at 2.36am.

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