FIRE crews in Kirklees tackled 95 cooking fires last year, figures show.
Of those, 28 were chip pan fires, with 26 in neighbouring Wakefield and 11 in Calderdale.
Statistics show that West Yorkshire firefighters deal with around two cooking fires every day.
Now they’ve launched a Safer Life campaign urging people to ditch their chip pans and take extra care when cooking.
Crews were at Birkenshaw yesterday highlighting the dangers of cooking fires and showing the explosive consequences of throwing a cup ofwater on a chip pan fire.
Area Manager Brian Robson, Senior Community Safety Officer, said: “Our advice to people is that you should avoid using chip pans altogether as they can be very dangerous.
“If anyone experiences one they should shut the door, evacuate the house and call 999.”
He added that many of the cooking incidents occur when people return from the pub and decide to cook while drunk, while others leave their food unattended.
Fire crews are now carrying out free home fire safety checks, which involves practical advice and the fitting of free smoke alarms.
To book a visit phone 0800 587 45 36 or visit www.saferlife.co.uk
