Firefighters have today issued a further warning about the dangers of leaving cooking unattended following a chip pan fire at a property in Wrexham - which comes a few days after urging people to throw away chip pans during National Chip Week.

Fire appliances from Wrexham and Johnstown were mobilised to Maesgwyn Road, Wrexham at 8.29pm on Sunday 26th February in response to a kitchen fire. Firefighters used two sets of breathing apparatus and a hose reel water jet to extinguish the fire.

Stuart Millington, Senior Fire Safety Manager, said: "Fortunately, the occupiers were not in the property at the time of the fire otherwise this incident could have been much more serious. However, they did return into the property to collect items which resulted in two of them needing a precautionary check.   "This fire was confined to the kitchen area but the whole property has smoke damage. This incident comes less than a week after we have issued messages warning of the dangers of chip pans during National Chip Week.   "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 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.

"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