A MAN was rescued by firefighters as he tried to tackle a chip pan blaze inside the kitchen of his home.

Crews were called to a house on Bruce Street, Newtown and entered the property wearing breathing masks before leading the man to safety.

They put out the flames within 20 minutes and two men were checked by paramedics at the scene.

Watch Manager Pete Nelson, who attended the call out with White Watch at St Helens Community Fire Station, said: "The occupier in the property tried to tackle the fire themselves. Chip pan fires can be extremely dangerous, can spread quickly and produce large volumes of smoke that can cause unconsciousness.

“We also advise people never put water on to chip pan fires as this can cause them to expand rapidly potentially causing injuries and further damage.

“Smoke alarms were present in the property and alerted the occupier. We advise people have working smoke alarms on each level of their home.

“If you discover a fire get out, stay out and call 999.”

The kitchen was severely damaged by fire, heat and smoke and ground floor had some heat damage.

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service was called shortly before 10pm on Thursday, July 24.

Firefighters will be carrying out visits to properties in the area to raise awareness about fire safety in the home.