Early morning sausages cause flat fire (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Early morning sausages cause flat fire in Winstanley Road, Battersea

10:40am Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By Alexandra Rucki

Firecrews rescued two men from a flat after fire broke out, caused by unattended cooking.

They were called to the blaze in Winstanley Road, Battersea, just before 4.30am this morning.

The men were given oxygen by firefighters and were treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation.

It was caused by unattended cooking after the pair put some sausages in a hot frying pan, but then fell asleep.

It was under control just after 5am, while a small part of the kitchen was left damaged.

The flat had a smoke alarm but it was not working.

Stewart Smith, watch manager for Battersea fire station, said: "The two men had a very lucky escape, especially since their smoke alarm wasn’t working.

"You should never leave your cooking unattended, and make sure you’re awake enough before you start to cook. Falling asleep while cooking can have very tragic consequences.

"This is also a great example of why you should test your smoke alarm regularly.

"There’s no point in having one if it isn’t working – so make sure you set aside 10 seconds every week to test your alarm."

Firecrews stayed after the blaze to fit working smoke alarms and in neighbouring flats.