11 July 2012
On Tuesday 10 July at 5pm the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service received a call concerning a fire in a grill pan in a property in St Helier. The occupier of the flat had been using the oven for cooking but they had turned on the wrong part of the oven which then ignited the fat that had collected in the grill pan.
The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service responded with 2 fire engines from St Helier and 9 personnel. On arrival 2 fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property as it was smoke logged. Although the fire had been extinguished by the occupier they had breathed in a lot of smoke and needed to be taken to hospital by paramedics for further treatment. The occupier's cat also required treatment and was taken to the vets. Due to the smoke logging of the property the service used their positive pressure fan to clear the property so that a complete inspection could be carried out.
The occupier had dealt with the fire using a dry powder extinguisher which extinguished the fire quickly, however due to the enclosed nature of the kitchen this resulted in the dry powder covering everything within the kitchen. Station Manager Mike Baudains commented: "Dry powder extinguishers are effective but messy and they should only be used in areas where the users vision and breathing are not likely to be affected. Training for the correct selection and use of fire extinguishers is available through the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service. The Administration department can be contacted for information regarding cost and availability.
"Whilst the occupier dealt with this fire it did result in them suffering smoke inhalation we would advise the public that if the fire is beyond their control or capability to be dealt with safely they should close the door to the compartment, leave the premises then call the Fire and Rescue Service using 999 - get out, get the fire service out and stay out."
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