News release text
A Maidstone woman was treated for minor burns to her back on Saturday (28 June), after her clothing caught fire while she was cooking.
The woman, thought to be in her late 30’s phoned 999 and two crews from Maidstone fire station were called to the house in Curzon Street just before midday.
Firefighters found the fire was out when they arrived, but applied burns dressings to her back before handing her into the care of the ambulance service.
Maidstone Crew Manager Aaron Hughes said: “The kitchen was quite narrow and when the woman turned her back on the cooker to put something in the dishwasher, the flame from the gas hob caught her dress alight. The best way to reduce injury if your clothes do catch fire is to follow the stop, drop and roll advice below.”
What to do if your clothes catch fire
Stop - Don’t run around – you’ll fan the flames and make them burn faster.
Drop - Lie down and roll around. This smothers the flames and makes it harder for them to spread.
Roll - Smother the flames with heavy material, like a coat, a blanket or a fire blanket.
For more advice on keeping safe from fire, speak to one of our home safety advisors – call freephone 0800 923 7000, or email us home@kent.fire-uk.org all our services are free of charge.
