Child taken to hospital after fire in Bangor caused by unattended cooking

A fire officer is highlighting the importance of safety in the kitchen following a fire in Bangor yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters from Bangor and Caernarfon were called to a property on St James’ Drive, Bangor at 3.24pm yesterday.

Upon arrival they found the kitchen area to be well alight, and crews used four sets of breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets and two thermal imaging cameras to tackle the fire. There was 50 per cent fire damage to the kitchen.

A mother and son were checked over by paramedics at the scene, and the child was taken to hospital for precautionary checks for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire was cooking left unattended.

Rod Poole, from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Time and time again we attend house fires which have started in the kitchen – it is so easy to forget your cooking, especially if you are tired, distracted or have been drinking. However, the consequences can be devastating.”

Rod’s top tips for safety in the kitchen include:

• If you leave the room take the cooking off the heat
• Don’t use matches or lighters to light gas cookers. Spark devices are safer
• Always make sure that any handles are turned away from the edge of the cooker
• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean – a build-up fat and grease can easily catch fire
• Never hang anything to dry above the cooker
• Take care if you are wearing loose clothing as it can easily catch fire
• When you’ve finished cooking make sure everything is turned off
• Turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used
• Never use a chip pan – use a thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer, air fryer or use oven chips
• Get fitted with smoke alarms – they are free of charge and could save your life.
• Never run back into the property, once you are out stay out! Inhaling the smoke could seriously affect your chances of coming out of the property a second time.
• Cooking after drinking is a recipe for disaster. Countless fires are caused each year by people returning home from the pub and deciding to cook a snack for themselves before