Firefighters have warned of the dangers of leaving unattended cooking after a pan of oil ignited in a Maidstone home.

Two fire engines were called to a bungalow in Maidstone Road, Sutton Valence at 8pm yesterday evening and used hose reels to extinguish the blaze.

The pan caught alight on the hob while resident was distracted.

No-one was injured and damage was restricted to the kitchen area.

Crews left the scene at 8.40pm.

KFRS community safety manager, Charlie Smith, said: “These incidents once again show the importance of not leaving cooking unattended. If you’re preparing a cooked meal and have to leave the kitchen for a few minutes, for example to make a phone call or answer the door, always ensure you remove the food from the heat source to prevent the pan overheating.

“It’s particularly dangerous to start cooking if your feeling tired, in these situations it’s often far safer to either prepare a cold snack or get a take-away rather then potentially putting yourself at risk by cooking and then falling asleep.

“Finally, accidents can and will happen, so ensure a smoke alarm is fitted on every floor of your home and tested regularly to help give you enough time to get out of your property safely in the event of fire.”