Wigan man suffers burns stopping a blazing chip pan from wrecking his kitchen

A smoke alarm alerted him and his young family to the kitchen fire after the cooking fat was left unattended and caught light.

He managed to get the pan outside and leave it in the back yard of the home in Bryn Road, Ashton, for firefighters from Wigan and Hindley to deal with when they arrived.

His injuries were so superficial that neither paramedics nor a visit to hospital was required. His actions also spared the house any damage, although he wasn’t following standard emergency services advice.

Wigan watch manager Mike Fairhurst said: “When chip pans catch fire we recommend that householders vacate the property immediately and leave the fire for us to deal with.

"In fairness though the young man saved an awful lot of damage to his property and, thankfully, he didn’t suffer serious injuries.”

Mr Fairhurst said that things could also have been a lot worse for the young man and his partner – who are both in their 20s – plus their young child, if there hadn’t been working smoke alarms in the house.

He added: “At the end of the day we don’t advise anyone to have chip pans. Much better and safer to get a deep fat fryer instead.”

Crews were only at the house for about half an hour following the call-out at 9.30pm on Monday August 7.