Blackburn house fire prompts cooker warning

FIRE crews have warned people not to leave cookers unattended after a kitchen blaze left a man in need of hospital treatment.

File picture: John Devlin

The casualty was rescued from the blaze in West Lothian last night and had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Crews put out a kitchen blaze which took hold at the cooker in Blackburn, arriving at Rowan Street within six minutes of a 999 call made at around 11.10pm.

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They requested an ambulance and provided treatment until paramedics arrived.

The casualty was then taken to St John’s Hospital in Livingston and crews left the scene shortly after midnight.

Most house fires start in the kitchen and firefighters said a “moment’s distraction” while cooking can spark a “serious incident”.

The advice is never to leave a cooker unattended without making sure the hob and grill are switched off and any pots or pans removed from the heat.

They also urged people to make sure smoke alarms were working and to consider having a heat alarm installed in the kitchen.