Firefighters have today (Tuesday, 22 September) issued a reminder of their cooking safety advice following a house fire on The Ridings in Surbiton.

Part of the ground floor, first floor and roof was destroyed by fire. One woman was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service and taken to hospital.

The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by unattended cooking.

A London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesperson said: "Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill - if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.

"Cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous and the risk increases when you start frying food more than once.

"All it can take is for you to become distracted for a few seconds and your cooking oil can quickly go up in flames.

"Never fill a pan more than one third full of fat or oil and make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil – oil and water are a dangerous mix.

"If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot so turn off the heat and leave it to cool. We also advise using an electronic deep fat fryer if possible – they have automatic temperature controls and are much safer.

Download our Nub News App!

- It’s FREE and available now
- Breaking news notifications
- Your Town in Your Pocket

"It's also really important to keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire."

Fire investigators found the smoke alarms did not operate.

The LFB spokesperson continued: "This incident is a timely reminder of just how important it is to have working smoke alarms in your home.

"Smoke alarms give the earliest possible warning when a fire starts. We encourage everyone to have smoke alarms fitted in every room where a fire could start, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen. It's important to test them regularly."

The Brigade's Control Officers took the first call to the fire at 1.46pm and sent crews from Surbiton, New Malden, Twickenham and a fire engine from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service to the scene.

The fire was under control by 2.50pm.