THE DANGERS of kitchen fires have been highlighted by firemen after three local people had to be rescued from their homes.

A woman was pulled to safety by her next door neighbour in Leigh after going to bed forgetting she had left a chip pan on.

And a father and son climbed out of a bedroom window after a pan fire at their Farnworth home.

Firefighters were called to their terraced house in Glynne Street, Farnworth at 2.45am yesterday to find Robert Payne, in his 20s, clinging to a bedroom window frame.

They put up a ladder to the first floor window to rescue him. Mr Payne's father David, who is in his 50s, jumped to safety from a window and was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital suffering from a broken arm and smoke inhalation.

The house, where the family have lived for over 20 years, was badly damaged by smoke and the kitchen destroyed.

Less than two hours later firemen were at a house in Barrie Street, Leigh, where Heather Beardsworth had fallen asleep leaving a chip pan on.

Next door neighbour Anthony Ward heard the smoke alarm go off and smashed his way into the house through a window before waking her and leading her to safety.

"She's a very lucky lady to get out alive," said Station Officer Chris Ward. Ms Beardsworth's house was not badly damaged.

Tragedy was averted in another kitchen fire on Saturday morning when the occupier of a first floor flat in Skagen Court, Bolton spotted a grill pan alight and managed to put out the flames before they spread.

Last year Bolton firemen were called to deal with 77 pan fires in the area and firemen say it is a significant problem for the brigade, with 757 in Greater Manchester over the same period.

Assistant Divisional Officer David Rainford, the brigade's head of community safety, says despite a growth in the number of people using oven chips they still get a large number of call outs to chip pan fires.

He stressed that it is important not to leave a pan unattended, even for a few minutes and ensure smoke alarms are fitted and working.