A woman has spoken of the dangers of leaving air fryers unattended after an appliance suddenly "went up in flames" in her home.
Margaret Fleming, from Edinburgh, says her kitchen was left charred by the air fryer when when she used it to heat up some scotch pies. She sat down in her living room to leave them to cook - but just minutes later, she found her kitchen filled with smoke and the alarm going off, reports Edinburgh Live.
Fortunately, fire crews were on the scene within minutes to extinguish the flames. Photographs show her kitchen blackened in the aftermath of the blaze
Margaret said: "I was sitting watching telly and decided I was getting a bit hungry. I went through to put some mince pies on and came back through to the living room and sat down. Within minutes, the smoke alarm was going off. I phoned the fire and they couldn't have been better, they were there within minutes."
Despite the quick response from the fire service, Margaret said her kitchen is still a "mess", as she's had to leave it until it is inspected. She said: "If you've got an air fryer, please do not leave the room when its on. Sometimes I've thought of just popping for a shower when something was in the air fryer, but I really think people shouldn't be doing that. "I'm so worried other families might be put in the same situation."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 10.26am on Friday, 19 April, to reports of a dwelling fire on Great Michael Rise, Edinburgh. “Operations Control mobilised three appliances and specialist resource, and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a two-storey property. Crews worked to make the area safe before leaving the scene. No casualties have been reported.”
Owners of air fryers should never leave their appliance unattended and ensure they are following manufacturer’s instructions, according to advice from Electrical Safety First. The charity also advises owners to register their air fryers online with the manufacturers in case a recall is needed, and avoid third party sellers on online marketplaces.