Firefighters take to the Internet to warn of kitchen grease dangers

Ryan Webster and Adam Dilks, both firefighters on Rotherham fire station’s White Watch, are using the two-minute clip of them cleaning the oven at their Fitzwilliam Road fire station in a bid to drive down the number of kitchen blazes the fire service attends.

The video has now been posted on YouTube.

Watch manager Gary Bruce said: “You’d be amazed how many homes we go to where minimum standards of hygiene and cleanliness aren’t maintained, putting residents at a real risk of having a fire that could severely damage their property.

“That’s why Ryan and Adam have made this video, to hopefully motivate people not to put off this particular household chore any longer.

“Even a small amount of thick, black smoke can ruin walls and furnishings and put lives at risk, so although the video is an unusual step, the message behind it is a serious one.”

Rotherham’s firefighters went to 150 accidental house fires last year, about half of which started in the kitchen.

Of those, the service says that many were caused by a build-up of fat and grease on grill pans; dirty ovens or cooking that had been left unattended..

A survey carried out by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue found that 40 per cent of people admit to not cleaning out their oven or grill pan within the last six months.

Posters go up across Rotherham this week, again asking people to clean out their ovens and grill pans.

The YouTube video forms part of the fire service’s “Kitchen Nightmares” campaign, which aims to reduce cooking blazes across South Yorkshire.

Advice being given to residents includes cleaning out ovens and grills regularly to avoid a build-up of grease.

People are also being reminded to never leave cooking unattended, and to switch off equipment after it has been used.

Chip pans should be thrown out, the fire service says, and replaced with thermostat-controlled fryers - or oven chips.

The service also said that people shouldn’t attempt to cook if they have been drinking.