QUICK-thinking staff stopped a fire from spreading when a faulty fryer caused a blaze at a Blackburn chip shop.

The fire, at 10pm on Friday, saw customers evacuated as staff at the Livesey Branch Road shop worked to contain the blaze. The frying range burst into flames but staff were able to contain the fire by closing the lid before calling the fire service.

Crew manager Dave Hilliard said: “They did the right thing by containing the blaze. The situation was in hand when we arrived. The entire range was on fire and it was still very hot when we showed up. We ensured the gas was turned off and waited for it to cool down before using a ventilation system.”