A fire at a high-rise block of flats has been successfully extinguished thanks to an effective sprinkler system.

Three fire appliances were mobilised to a fire at Richard Heights, Flint this evening (3 July) at 17.42hrs.

A man in his 70s has been transferred to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation following the incident.

The fire was extinguished quickly by the sprinkler system and was confined to the kitchen area of the flat. Twelve people from the building were evacuated safely.

The cause of the fire was a chip pan which had been accidentally left unattended.

Lee Williams, Deputy Head of Business Fire Safety at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This incident clearly highlights the importance of sprinklers in helping to avoid the spread of fire.

“The fast activation of the sprinkler system helped to protect the occupier of the flat from serious harm, as well as avoiding severe damage to his flat and major disruption to the remainder of the building and its occupants which may have resulted had the fire spread.

“It’s also a warning to everyone how leaving a chip pan unattended for even a short time can have potentially disastrous results as the oil can easily overheat and ignite.

“People assume that cooking chips in a pan of hot oil is a thing of the past, but we have had three such incidents within the last week alone.

"We'd recommend oven chips, using a deep fryer with a thermostat, or having a takeaway as a safer option, but if people do choose to fry then please ensure you stand by your pan - don't be tempted to leave it unattended."

Wales has led the way in the promotion of fire safety and the protection of residents and businesses - sprinklers are an extremely effective safeguard against fire, protecting people, firefighters, jobs, homes, businesses, the economy and the environment, as well as delivering benefits that are far greater than the cost of their installation and maintenance.