Shropshire Star

Shropshire camping death inspires fire safety campaign

A major fire safety campaign is being launched in Shropshire in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that saw a teenager die from carbon monoxide poisoning during a family camping trip to the county.

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A major fire safety campaign is being launched in Shropshire in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that saw a teenager die from carbon monoxide poisoning during a family camping trip to the county.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service will distribute 10,000 fire safety leaflets across the county as part of its new summer initiative to raise awareness of the potential dangers of indoor and outdoor cooking.

It follows the death of Wilmslow schoolgirl Hannah Thomas-Jones, 14, on a trip in May to Bucknell, near Ludlow when a disposable barbecue was taken inside a tent to keep her family warm.

Another aim of the campaign is to highlight that about 50 per cent of all house fires are started in kitchens, often late at night after people have been drinking alcohol.

To promote the campaign, brigade chiefs have teamed up with Shropshire's curry chef of the year Abdul Husen, of Cafe Saffron in Shrewsbury.

It will see leaflets distributed at the county's 23 fire stations, as well as at DIY stores selling barbecues and kitchen equipment.

Community fire safety team leader Rabinder Dhami said: "We want to remind people to take care and know how to prevent a fire from happening. A working smoke alarm is a must in every home."

Overheated oil or fat in chip pans, deep fat fryers or grill pans are the main cause of kitchen fires, often when people are distracted, say campaign leaders.

Fire service officials said householders should only make use of thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers, clean hobs regularly to prevent a build up of fat and don't move a pan if it catches fire.

They added when it comes to barbecues it is advised to keep a bucket of water or sand nearby, not use petrol to light it and after cooking switch off a gas cylinder first to use up any fuel in the pipeline before switching off the barbecue.

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