A fire officer has issued a warning about the dangers of leaving cooking unattended following a chip pan fire at Buckley in the early hours of this morning.

Appliances from Buckley and Mold were mobilised to a property at Victoria Avenue, Buckley at 2.07am on Friday the 10^th of April after the occupant was woken up by the smell of smoke caused by a chip pan in the kitchen.

There were three occupants in the building at the time of the fire who successfully evacuated the property before fire crews arrived.

Steve Cook, Operational Training Manager, said: "This situation could have potentially been a lot worse as the property did not have smoke alarms installed. The ones that were installed had been taken down and no longer working. Luckily, one of the occupants woke up by the smell of smoke and alerted the others.

"All three occupiers went to hospital to be examined for smoke inhalation and have been released. These people were very lucky as this situation could have been very different.

"The fire was confined to the kitchen area and caused 5% fire damage, completely destroying the chip pan.  

"Leaving a chip pan unattended for any length of time can have disastrous results as the oil can easily overheat and ignite - even the smallest distraction could lead to a fire in a matter of moments.

"Oven chips or air fryers are safer as well as being healthier, but if you do choose to deep fat fry please don't leave the pan unattended. If your chip pan does ignite, don't throw water over it. Get out, stay out and call 999. Never tackle a fire yourself.

"Better still - throw away your old style chip pan altogether and use a thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer."

"It only takes a few minutes for a small fire to develop into one that is serious and life threatening. If you're asleep and a fire breaks out, you're in serious trouble - just a couple of breaths of smoke can be enough to knock you completely unconscious."

If you do choose to deep fat fry your chips, follow our top tips to reduce your risk of fire;

. Don't overfill a chip pan with oil - never fill it more than one-third full

. Be careful that it doesn't overheat - hot oil can catch fire easily

. Use a thermostat-controlled deep-fat fryer, which will make sure the fat doesn't get too hot

. Never throw water on a chip pan fire

. Got the post pub munchies? Don't cook after drinking alcohol

. In the event of a fire, have an escape route in place

. Don't take risks by tackling a fire. Get out, stay out and call 999

. Get a smoke alarm and test it regularly

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service offers free home fire safety checks, where a member of the Service will visit your home, give fire safety hints and tips, help you to formulate a fire escape plan and fit new alarms - all free of charge. This service is available to all residents inNorth Wales.

To register for a free home fire safety check, please call the bilingual 24 hour free hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit www.freesmokealarm.co.uk