A PENSIONER had a “fortunate escape” after his air fryer burst into flames while cooking oven chips.
James Cooper, 76, mentioned he was left “completely shocked” after his in style Tower cooker caught hearth while making dinner.
3
3
The fireplace burned for underneath 10 seconds earlier than James – who lives alone – was in a position to place the flaming cooker in his backyard and extinguish the blaze.
The pensioner mentioned: “I used to be cooking oven chips, which is strictly what it was designed to do.
“My fryer was solely used three or 4 occasions every week and had a very simple life, actually.
“At first I believed I had spilt one thing onto the gasoline burner as a result of I might scent intense burning.
“It was an entire shock to see it was the fryer itself that was on hearth.
“It didn’t burn for very lengthy however the scent caught round for some time afterwards.
He added: “I used to be actually lucky to be proper by it when it went and I might cease it and take it exterior in a short time. However not everybody who has one would’ve been in a position to try this.”
James, from Cheltenham, claims producer Tower – which sells 23 various kinds of air fryers – instructed him to easily return the system and declare a refund.
The retired constructing surveyor mentioned: “I feel with points like this the place it truly catches hearth they need to be issuing a recall.”
The kitchen gadget – which sells for wherever between £30 and £200 has swept the nation as a low-cost cooking various – with gasoline and electrical costs spiking attributable to the price of dwelling disaster.
Analysis final 12 months discovered gross sales of the cooker soared by 3000% – with the system costing simply £55 a 12 months to run, in comparison with electrical cookers which may see customers cough up greater than £350 a 12 months.
However James mentioned the fiery incident had put him off utilizing the finances kitchen instrument.
He mentioned: “I’d by no means purchase one other one and I’ve instructed my grandson to throw his out since you by no means know what might occur.
“It might have been a lot worse. I used to be horrified after I regarded on-line and noticed photographs of different folks’s fryers.”
Fireplace service stats present air fryers ignited 37 fires in 2022 – double the determine from 2021.
Earlier this 12 months Manchester mum Rebecca Sim’s kitchen was virtually burned down after the fryer practically fried her.
The 52-year-old from Prestwich, Higher Manchester, mentioned a small flame rapidly turned an “inferno” as she threw the gadget exterior.
The retired trainer, who has a number of sclerosis, mentioned: “I used to be actually shocked… Thank God I didn’t depart it – it might have burned the kitchen down.
“It was a very nasty expertise that might have been far, far worse with out my quick-thinking.”
Tower have been contacted for remark.
3
