A MOTHER-OF-THREE suffered minor burns and her children had to be treated for smoke inhalation when she tried to put a chip pan fire out with water.

The Northfleet woman, who has not been named, was cooking chips on a gas hob when the pan set fire and she tried to put the flames out with water.

The immediate flash of fire burnt her and filled the house with thick black smoke.

Firefighters arriving at the scene put out the blaze but the whole of the ground floor was damaged by smoke. They later discovered a smoke alarm had been fitted but was not working.

The woman and her children were taken to Darent Valley Hospital for treatment.

Kent Fire Brigade's head of community safety Mick Rowney says the service wants to raise awareness about the danger of trying to put out chip pan fires with water.

He said: "It clearly shows what will happen if you try to put out an oil fire with water. We want the public to take notice, so incidents such as this become a thing of the past. The other important message, especially at this time of year, is about the fatal mix of drinking and cooking."

December 19, 2001 17:00