A DARWEN man risked a chip pan 'oil explosion' by carrying boiling hot cooking oil down two flights of stairs after it caught fire.

The 50-year-old man from Harrop Court, Anyon Street, Darwen, fell asleep while watching TV with his chip pan on in the kitchen last night.

Darwen Fire Service crew manager John Robinson praised the occupant's initial actions, when he was woken by the building’s smoke alarms around 11.15pm last night.

He said: “The man didn't panic. He turned the gas off and used a damp towel to smother the chip pan and opened the windows.

"But then he did something we don't advise and took the chip pan down two flights of stairs and outside. It seems sensible, but the oil was very hot and if he tripped or dropped it, the oil would reignite into a large ball of fire.

“He did have the best intentions, but at that point he should have left the room and phoned us. We advise people that if they think they've done enough, to close the door, go to a safe place and tell their neighbours.”

The second floor flat was smokelogged and the occupant, a night shift worker, was given oxygen at the scene by a paramedic, but didn't require hospital treatment.

Another resident had heard the fire alarm and had called 999. Evacuated residents were able to return to their homes within 15 minutes.

There was slight smoke damage to the flat and some heat and fire damage to the gas hob and extraction unit.