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A 70-year-old Devizes woman was taken to hospital on aftersuffering smoke inhalation.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to a flat at Offers Court at 6.20pm on Tuesday to deal with a small kitchen fire after the resident was alerted by her smoke alarm. One crew from Devizes fire station attended, and found that a saucepan on the hob had boiled dry, creating a lot of smoke.

Over half of all house fires in Wiltshire and Swindon start in the kitchen, usually when cooking is left unattended.

Between October 2006 and October 2007, Wiltshire FRS attended 428 house fires, of which 225 involved cooking. Fifty eight of these incidents involved elderly people, with the majority (27) leaving cooking on the hob.

Twelve related to an unattended grill pan, nine to microwaves, five to items being placed on the hob whilst still on, three were chip pan fires, and two were caused by toasters.

Wiltshire FRS promotes the use of kitchen timers, which can be taken from room to room. The Service also offers free home fire safety checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them. To find out more, call 0800 389 7849 or visit www.wiltsfire.gov.uk

9:44am Thursday 15th May 2008

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