PEOPLE are being reminded to be vigilant with their cooking after a kitchen fire in Droitwich.

The incident was one of two separate fires that happened on Thursday, September 6 and has led to Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) issuing an appeal.

The first took place at a property in Jubilee Drive in Kidderminster at around 10.15am. The occupiers were out at the time but neighbours heard a smoke alarm activate and raised the alarm. Two fire engines from Kidderminster fire station were sent to the address and firefighters in breathing apparatus went into the kitchen where they extinguished a small fire caused by books left too near an electric cooker hob.

At around 5.35pm, two fire crews from Droitwich were called to a first floor maisonette in Nunnery Avenue in Droitwich after an unattended saucepan in the kitchen caught fire.

Again, there was an early alert from a smoke detector at the property and firefighters in breathing apparatus extinguished the fire with the use of one hose reel.

Station commander Alan Haley from HWFRS’s community safety department said: “Fortunately no one was injured and damage was kept to a minimum at both of these properties thanks to an early alert from a working smoke detector. “However, both incidents involved cooking left unattended and both had the potential to be far more serious.

“We would remind people to keep an eye on their cooking at all times and to be sure that books, magazines, tea-towels and any flammable items are kept well away from the stove.”