A CHIP pan full of oil exploded into flames during an incident in Blackburn this morning.

Two fire crews from the town attended the blaze on Pilmuir Road after being alerted at 12.29am.

A senior fire officer said the situation was escalated after a well meaning passer-by intervened and moved the pan, causing the boiling oil to explode and set fire to other parts of the kitchen.

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Watch manager Steven Hartley, said: "The fire service attended a chip pan fire which left an elderly lady suffering the effects of smoke and conveyed by ambulance to Blackburn Royal Hospital.

"A smoke alarm alerted the occupant.

"The incident could have had far more serious consequences when a passer-by tried to help by tackling the fire, removing the burning pan from the hob causing a hot oil explosion.

"This created severe damage to the kitchen. Luckily he was uninjured and managed to escape.

"Our crews were at the scene for more than 30 minutes."