Wigan residents urged to 'take care' in kitchen to prevent accidental fires

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is running a Cook Safe campaign in a bid to reduce the number of incidents.

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

Crews were called to 603 accidental fires caused by cooking in 2022 – making up almost half of all house fires.

This has fallen by almost 150 since the campaign’s launch, but the service is keen to see further reductions.

Area manager Billy Fenwick, head of prevention, said: “We launched this campaign last year after tragically seeing a number of deaths relating to cooking fires. That clearly highlights the devastation fires in the home can cause and why it’s so important to take care in the kitchen.

“We’re pleased to see the number of accidental fires caused by cooking reducing, and want to work with our communities to keep people safe and further 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.”

People are being reminded not to leave cooking unattended, use an oven or thermostatically-controlled fryer rather than a chip pan, and to never cook after drinking alcohol.

Advice on keeping homes safe from fire is available through a new online home fire safety check tool on the service’s website.