Man, 74, in burns unit after blaze

Roy Clarkson, 74, of Burnley Road, Cliviger, escaped from his burning home with his wife after switching on the wrong cooker ring to heat some food.

The ring heated the chip pan stored on the stove instead and the pan set alight at 7.45pm.

Firefighters called to the scene said Mr Clarkson tried to contain the fire using a damp cloth but the flames had escalated out of control. He escaped with his wife and called the fire brigade.

A family who live next door were also evacuated from their home as smoke seeped into their house.

Mr Clarkson was taken to Burnley General Hospital to be treated for burns but transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment where he was today said to be in a stable condition.

Mrs Clarkson was comforted by her family.

Their kitchen was severely smoke damaged and the ground and the first floor of the home were also damaged by smoke.

Station Officer Paul Harvey, of Burnley's Fire Brigade said accidents like this can be prevented if easy steps are followed. He said:" We recommend that people should use deep fat fryers rather than chip pans, but if people do not have deep fat fryers then if chip pans are not in use they should be stored away from the cooker. People should not overfill the pan with fat because this can be dangerous.

"In the event of a chip pan fire, the heat should be turned off immediately and a damp cloth should be placed on top of the pan, it has to be damp not soaking wet. It should then be left, but if there are any doubts at all people should shut the kitchen door and get out of the house and then ring us straight away.

"Mr Clarkson had attempted to follow this procedure but by the time he realised there was a fire it had got out of control.

"Mr Clarkson was already out of his house by the time we got there but he was suffering from some burn injuries.

"He was treated by the paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital."