Never attempt to tackle a fire yourself - that's the stark message from firefighters after a man suffered burns to his hands and arms following a fire in a Birchington house.

Two crews were called to the property in Kings Road just before 11pm on Friday after the man, who was in his late teens, tried to tackle a fire in his kitchen. It is believed the blaze was caused by a pan of hot oil that had caught light.

When crews from Margate and Westgate-on-Sea arrived, the man had managed to put the fire out and was in his shower attempting to cool his burns. While crews gave first aid and checked for further fire spread, an ambulance was called to the scene. Soon after, paramedics took the teenager to hospital for treatment.

Mick Smith, manager of Margate fire station, said: "The crews were told that when the resident, who had left his cooking unattended, realised the pan was alight, he attempted to extinguish the fire by moving it, splashing hot oil over himself in the process.

"As this incident proves, you should never try to tackle a fire yourself as you could get seriously hurt. In the event of a fire our advice is always to get out, stay out and dial 999. No one's possessions are worth more than their lives."

Mr Smith added: "Despite all our efforts to get the message across about the dangers of cooking with hot oil, we're still being called to a number of fires in the home involving the old style chip pans.

"In just a few minutes, the oil can overheat and cause the pan to ignite. My advice is to throw away your old style chip pan - thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers are a far safer option. But leaving any kind of cooking unattended places you at risk. People just don't realise how quickly a fire can take hold."

For more fire safety information, visit www.kent.fire-uk.org.