Firefighters have highlighted the dangers associated with cooking late at night in the wake of a kitchen fire which claimed the life of a Fife man at the weekend.
People in East Wemyss still coming to terms with the death of local man Wullie Smart, 42, were given some words of advice from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel on Wednesday morning in the village’s Sir Jimmy Shand Court, where Saturday’s tragic blaze happened.
Firefighters from Methil, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes were at the scene within minutes following a call from a neighbour at 10.33am on Saturday.
The fire had burned itself out prior to their arrival, but Mr Smart’s body was found in the ground-floor flat.
With the tragedy still fresh in local minds, station manager Stephen Thomson said firefighters wanted offer some support and safety guidance to the local community.
“Most kitchen fires happen when people are not concentrating on what they are doing or they leave cooking unattended,” he said.
“There are ways to prevent fires in the kitchen.
“Don’t leave pans unattended and take them off the heat if you have to leave the room. Fire starts when your attention stops. When you have finished cooking, make sure the cooker or oven is turned off.”
Firefighters were also offering a free thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer in exchange for an old style chip pan or an old deep fat fryer, which is thought to have caused Saturday’s blaze.
Mr Thomson also highlighted the importance of having a working smoke or heat alarm fitted.
Residents can also organise home fire safety visits.
