Pensioner to the rescue -Chip pan fire

'Sheila prevented chip pan fire from devastating neighbour's home'


From Grimsby Telegraph:


A FIREMAN has commended the heroics of a 65-year-old lady who put out a chip pan fire just "moments away" from engulfing a whole kitchen.

Sheila Blunden, of William Street, Cleethorpes, went to the aid of her neighbour, when the panicked teenager knocked on her door and revealed he was struggling to deal with a chip pan fire.
​
Without wasting a second, she told her neighbour – who did not wish to be named – to call the fire brigade and rushed to his kitchen to check out the blaze.

The smoke was thick, making it difficult to breath, and flames from the pan were 2ft high, blocking the route to the sink.

Mrs Blunden told her neighbour to run upstairs, soak a bath towel and bring it downstairs, which he did.

She placed it over the pan, which extinguished the fire, minutes before the arrival of two fire crews, who had receiving the call at Peak's Lane five minutes earlier.

Watch manager Niel Knight, who attended the incident on Wednesday, November 2, said: "Her actions prevented a bad situation from becoming devastating to the family concerned.

"The fire was a moment away from engulfing the whole kitchen and could have had an effect on the whole house.

"Had she not acted so effectively, the outcome could have been very different.

"It must have been quite frightening, but she was brave and very careful in the way she dealt with it."

Mrs Blunden was "proud" to receive Mr Knight's commendation, but said she didn't even think about what she was doing at the time. She said: "I just acted in the spur of the moment.

"There isn't chance to think – you just get on with it.

"The flames were 2ft high and there was black smoke all over the place.

"It made me realise just how quickly something like that can spread."

Mrs Blunden, who is divorced and lives with her dog Jack, added: "I was just glad I could help and I am quite sure any of my neighbours would do the same for me."

Although Mrs Blunden dealt with the situation very well, Humberside Fire And Rescue usually recommend that you do not extinguish chip pan fires yourself, giving these top tips:

Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so.

Get out and stay out.

Call the fire service.

Never leave chip pans unattended.

Regularly test smoke alarms.

Mr Knight said: "In this case, the fire was dealt with safely and no one came to any harm, but in the past, people have been burnt moving a flaming chip pan or throwing water on it."