FIRE chiefs have again warned people not to leave cookers unattended after a deaf pensioner cheated death in a flat blaze.
Firefighters from Leek and Ipstones were alerted to the incident by the landlord of the St Edward Street property at 7.50am on Wednesday and found the ground-floor flat full of smoke.
The fire is believed to have started when the elderly occupant left sausages cooking unattended and, although he had a special fire alert system provided by social care, on this occasion it was discovered it was not in use.
A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “It could have been worse, it is one of these things — the landlord alerted us to the incident so that meant the gentleman wasn’t aware at the time.
“It was sparked by food being left unattended and the pan caught fire.”
The incident came just weeks after a 78-year-old man died following a fire at the Sheen cottage he shared with his brother.
Assistant area commander Andy Kinsman said: “Inside the property we found clear signs of fire near-misses so we contacted Social Services to advise them on this gentleman’s situation.
“We will work with Social Services to monitor the situation and return to the flat shortly to supervise this gentleman’s fire needs.
“We would urge everyone to never leave cooking unattended. Statistics show most accidental house fires are a result of cooking.” The fire service spokesman added: “It’s absolutely paramount people shouldn’t turn their back on food — you should keep things free from the stove and when you’re finished put everything away.”