FIRE crews were called to a house in the early hours of this morning after a chip pan ignited.

Five people, two adults and three children, were treated for smoke inhalation by firefighters at the home in Montgomery Close, Baxenden early this morning.

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Two crews from Hyndburn Fire station and one from Haslingden attended the house fire involving a chip pan in the kitchen of the house.

The fire service was alerted at around 12.50am to reports that a residential property was on fire.

Initial reports feared people could be inside the house but as crews arrived it emerged that the occupants, a man and woman and three children, had managed to escape.

It is believed the house became smoke logged after the pan was left unattended in the kitchen and ignited.

A fire service spokesman, said: "The initial reports were that a family maybe inside but thankfully they had all got out.

"Two fire officers wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and extinguished the fire.

"The five people received oxygen therapy from fire fighters prior to arrival of paramedics."

The kitchen of the house was severely damaged with the ceiling badly affected.

The adjacent lounge was severely damaged by smoke while the remainder of the property was smoke affected.

The spokesman, added: "Chip pans can ignite very easily and are incredibly dangerous if not attended to.

"Our advice would be whenever cooking, whether with a chip pan, fryer, grill or other method, always stay with the cooking.

"It's so easy to get distracted and forget about what's on or in the stove especially late at night or in the early morning when one can easily fall asleep.

“If you do get called away while cooking turn everything off or down low.

"This case also demonstrates the importance of a working fire alarm.

"If the alarm had not worked we could have been looking at a much, much more serious outcome."