FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning over the use of grill pans after a ‘catch up’ between two friends almost turned to disaster.

Crews were called to a property in Bolton Road, Bury, at about 9pm on Friday to reports of a grill pan fire.

A pan was put back into the grill after use and the door to the cooker closed.

The residual fat then began to heat up in the grill and set it on fire.

A neighbour had managed to get the fire under control by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters disconnected the gas and took the cooker outside.

Tony Wilson, crew manager, said : “Two ladies whose husbands were on a stag do were having a catch-up she had been cooking some halloumi cheese.

“She had closed the grill, left the grill pan in with the cooker switched on and it’s set fire to the stuff in there.”

“We are trying to stress to people to keep people to try to keep their grill pans clean as we do have quite a few fires as a result of just that – too much residual fat left in grill pans.”

Mr Wilson said the neighbour had done a ‘good job’ of putting the fire out with damp towels and water but stressed the fire service does not advise people tackle fires themselves.

He added: “We advocate trying to get out, stay out and get us out.

“He did a good job but that was a gas fire, if you start throwing water on an electric cooker, or on some fat and it comes back on you it would be a big problem.”