FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after a man was hospitalised after tackling a kitchen fire.

The man, in his 30s, left a pan unattended at his property, in Branch Road, Burnley Wood, at 4.50am yesterday when it caught fire.

He called out firefighters but, in the meantime, tried to take the pan outside and tackle the blaze himself.

However, he choked on the fumes and was transferred to hospital by paramedics while crews put out the fire.

He was treated for smoke inhalation, but was not thought to be seriously injured.

Firefighters ventilated the property and opened windows.

But the kitchen and the rest of the house were smoke-damaged.

After the fire, watch manager Mark Woodward, from Burnley Fire Station, said: “We would always encourage people not to leave cooking unattended at any time, and people should never tackle fires themselves.

“Our advice is that people should get out, call us out, and stay out, if there is a fire.

“There are a lot of people who attempt to tackle fires themselves, but they risk serious injury from burns, or smoke inhalation,” he added.

He advised people to call 0800 1691125 for a free home fire safety check.