A PENSIONER was left suffering the effects of smoke inhalation after trying to put out a chip pan fire.

The 67-year-old of The Finches, Thundersley, had just returned from a holiday to celebrate his birthday when he left a chip pan on the heat.

He attempted to put it out using a blanket, but that also caught alight.

Sub-officer Steve Kirkham said the man had gone to check his e-mails while the pan was left on.

“He had had his dinner, but had left the chip pan on the heat and not turned it off. The oil caught alight.

The kitchen was gutted by the fire.

The man’s attempt to put out the fire was unsuccessful because the blanket he used to put over the pan hadn’t been wet, the fire officer said. “We gave him oxygen but called an ambulance, as he also had singed the back of his head.”

Firefighters returned to his house to fit free smoke alarms the next day. They advise if a chip pan catches alight to dial 999 and leave the house.