Stovetop injury fire spurs caution

FIRE and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) is urging people to be cautious in the kitchen after a stovetop fire resulted in a Dunedin resident requiring treatment from St John for smoke inhalation yesterday.

Fenz southern communications shift supervisor Mau Barbara said Roslyn crews were called just before 2pm to a home in Wakari, which was filling with smoke from a stovetop blaze.

One occupant was treated by St John at the scene for smoke inhalation, he said. The fire did not spread from the stove.

Fire crews then used a positive pressure ventilation system to clear smoke from the house.

Mr Barbara said the key to preventing kitchen fires was Fenz’s perennial warning to ‘‘keep looking while you’re cooking’’.

Fenz offered the following advice for dealing with kitchen fires.

For fires in a saucepan or pot, put a lid on the pot if it is safe to do so, before switching off power to the stove.

If a frying pan is ablaze, place its lid, a wet tea towel or a large, flat object such as a cooking board on the pan to smother the fire — never carry the flaming pan outside or throw water on the fire.

If a fire starts in an oven, keep the oven door closed to prevent it spreading and to starve it of oxygen.

If in doubt, call 111 and evacuate from your home.

Clean your stovetop after each use to prevent fats and oils building up and adding fuel to any fire. Also ensure your range hood is clean as it can catch fire if covered in fats or oils, and regularly clean its filter.

Do not install a smoke alarm in the kitchen, as it will regularly give false alarms. However, ‘‘heat alarms’’, which activate when a room reaches a set temperature, can protect a kitchen.