New campaign aims to prevent kitchen fires after four deaths in a year

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s Cook Safe campaign urges people to be aware of the dangers of cooking-related fires and take simple steps to keep themselves and their families safe in the kitchen.

It follows the deaths of four people as a result of suspected chip pan fires, making it the first time they have been the main cause of fire-related deaths since 2007/08.

Chip pans also accounted for 40 per cent of all accidental fire deaths in the home in 2021.

Firefighters were called to 752 accidental cooking fires in homes in 2021, nearly half of all accidental dwelling fires last year.

As part of the campaign Greater Manchester residents will see messages across social media, on buses and in local media on how to stay safe in the kitchen.

Area manager Billy Fenwick, GMFRS’ head of prevention, said: “Tragically, we saw a number of deaths relating to cooking fires last year. This highlights the devastation fires in the home can cause and why it’s so important to take care in the kitchen.

“Around half of all accidental fires in the home start because of cooking and we want to work with our communities to keep people safe and reduce the number of cooking fires we attend.”

“My plea to residents is please take care in the kitchen by following our simple advice on how to cook safely.”

Steps to reduce the risk of fires in the kitchen include:

- Don’t use a chip pan. Try oven alternatives or use a thermostatically controlled fryer

- Never leave your cooking unattended

- Don’t get distracted while cooking

- Take care when frying - hot oil or fat can easily catch fire​

- Never cook if you’ve been drinking alcohol

Greater Manchester residents can get personalised advice to keep their homes safe from fire by using a new home fire safety check tool on the GMFRS website.

Free, face-to-face home fire safety assessments are available via the website or by calling 0800 555 815 to check eligibility.

More cooking fire safety advice is available on GMFRS’ website