SOME people find cooking at home a relaxing and creative activity while others find it a chore but, whatever your feelings about culinary endeavours, the fact is that each year cooking causes more accidental fires in the home than anything else.

And with a number of food-related events this month e.g. Shrove Tuesday, National Chip Week and Valentine’s Day, Hereford and Worcester Fire Service (HWFRS) is warning cooks to take care in the kitchen.

Station Commander Alan Haley from the Community Risk department, at HWFRS said: “Over half of all accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen so it’s essential to take care, especially when cooking with hot oil.”

He is urging home cooks to follow some simple safety tips:

• Keep your cooker and grill pan clean, burnt food and fat causes fires

• Turn off all electrical appliances and pull out the plugs when not using them

• Cooking becomes dangerous if you drink alcohol, you could become drowsy and not be as safe as you think

• Do not use a toaster under a cupboard

• If you use a chip pan, never fill it more than a third full and stay with it all the time

• Never leave a pan unattended when the heat is switched on and NEVER attempt to move the pan if it should catch fire

• Do not take risks. If a pan should catch fire, turn off the heat only if it’s safe to do so. Never throw water over the pan.

• Keep children safely away from the cooking area

• Never tackle a fire yourself, but GET OUT, STAY OUT, CALL 999.

Commander Haley added: “In addition to the above vital safety advice, I would urge people to test their smoke alarms are working on a weekly basis. If you require further advice on fire safety or would like to call the Community Risk department to see if you qualify for a free Home Fire Safety Check please call 0800 032 1155.

Further kitchen safety advice is available at www.hwfire.org.uk under the Your Safety section or visit @HWFireSafety