Safety advice after fire crew deal with smoking crumpet

Watch manager Mick Abbott from Dearne Fire Station attended an incident at a house on Kings Road, Mexborough, at 11.10am today.

Mr Abbott said the woman in her 80s had used her microwave to try and cook a crumpet.

He said: “The lady left it in the microwave too long and it started burning, which set her alarm off, which went through to home help who contacted us to make sure she was okay.”

The property was ventilated to get rid of the smoke and the crew showed the woman some timer functions on her microwave.

“We tested all her alarms while we were there and gave advice about not leaving things unattended in the kitchen.”

He added he recommended not cooking crumpets in a microwave and to use a toaster instead.

The watch manager said elderly people often cannot help leaving things unattended as they may be unsteady on their feet and find it difficult to stand.

He added: “We get a lot of incidents like this, especially at nursing homes.

“I’d advise people to try and use things for their proper purpose.”