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Two injured by barbecue

TWO people had to be taken to hospital after suffering serious burns at a barbecue.

Fire crews from Chesham and Amersham were called to the scene of the incident, in Beechcroft Road, Chesham, at around 6.45pm on Saturday.

A man and a girl were taken to hospital. An investigation into the incident is currently being carried out jointly by the fire service and police.

Following that incident - and another near Milton Keynes where five homes had to be evacuated after a barbecue fire - firefighters have issued a safety warning over the use of barbecues.

Terry Ridgley, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's community safety manager, said: "Having a barbecue should be a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, but cooking over hot coals can be hazardous.

"The consequences of not paying attention to a few simple safety rules can be catastrophic."

He advised people planning barbecues to keep a bucket of water or sand or a garden hose nearby in case of an emergency.

Mr Ridgley also said to make sure the barbecue is in good working order, particularly if it has not been used for a while.

He advised the barbecue site should be flat and well away from sheds, fences, decking, trees and shrubs, and children, garden games and pets should be kept well away from the cooking area.

3:48pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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Posted by: Marmite, HW on 4:06pm Tue 13 May 08
Sounds like natural selection to me.
Posted by: SBJones, Wycombe on 4:16pm Tue 13 May 08
no fear of that this weekend its gonna be wet and cool!
Posted by: Mario, Bucks on 6:13pm Tue 13 May 08
The best way to put out a barbecue fire if you don't have water to hand is to absolutely drench the charcoal in fuel.

Then fan with a tea towel to blow out any residual flames.

I wish the fire officer would understand that not everyone has a bucket of water or sand to hand for an incident like this. The fuel and tea towel are much more accesssible and provide a more realistic solution.

;-)
Posted by: Reads2much, London on 6:39pm Tue 13 May 08
that not everyone has a bucket of water or sand to hand
are you for real are you telling me that someone would not be able to get their hands on a bucket of water..... to be honest its the wallys that throw or try to start their bbq's with fuel that are often the ones being rushed to hospital...
Posted by: Mario, Bucks on 7:03pm Tue 13 May 08
Reads2much, trust me bro, it works every time.
Posted by: Ivor on 7:08pm Tue 13 May 08
Would it not be quicker (and safer) to cook the food in the kitchen as normal and simply take it outdoors?

Have you read Ivor’s blog today? Click on the “Opinion” link on the menu on the left then click on “Readers Bucks Blog”.
Posted by: Mario, Bucks on 7:18pm Tue 13 May 08
Top tip:

Whatever you do, if you are going to p*ss on the barbecue in an emergency at an event with families present, make sure your todger is covered by the smoke else you'll find yourself on the sex offenders register for life!

;-)
Posted by: littlemiss, Wycombe on 11:38am Wed 14 May 08
What please, is the point of having a BBQ Ivor, if you are going to cook the food indoors in the oven, I assume? That's just eating outside! I wouldn't recommend using your BBQ indoors, especially if you have a working smoke alarm.

I am also not sure about covering the bbq with fuel, and fanning out the flames, I've seen 7 ft flames off a tiny BBQ before now, and I wouldn't fancy my chances of fanning them out with a tea towell! Best advice is to make sure the BBQ is lit well away from anything it could set light to, stand well back and keep kids, pets etc away from it. If it does get out of hand and it's not near anything it will burn itself out.
Posted by: Mario, Bucks on 12:48pm Wed 14 May 08
If the flames go to 7ft high you have not poured enough fuel on, you really need to drench that charcoal with fuel to put out the fire!

Let me know how you get on.
Posted by: Joe English, High Wycombe on 2:39pm Wed 14 May 08
Mario, you scally-wag, no problem with the fuel but can you advise on the tea towel? linen or cotton best for fanning?
Posted by: not-dave, high wycombe on 3:35pm Wed 14 May 08
Ivor wrote:
Would it not be quicker (and safer) to cook the food in the kitchen as normal and simply take it outdoors? Have you read Ivor’s blog today? Click on the “Opinion” link on the menu on the left then click on “Readers Bucks Blog”.
is it not said that more accidents happen in the kitchen than anywhere else?
Posted by: bengley, Beechcroft Road, Chesham on 5:52pm Sat 31 May 08
This wasn't caused by a gas explosion, as said by other article on this incident. I happen to live on Beechcroft Road, where it happened and the man who was burned's nephew (The one who was arrested) was poruing petrol on the barbeque, to try and relight it, however it was lit already. So obviously this caused the flame to suck back into the can. The way he was screaming was scary. It was like nothing I've heard before. The smell was pretty repulsive too.
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