Two cooking fires are close call for residents

Wanganui firefighters attended two cooking fires on Thursday - one of which happened when the person cooking left the house with the pot still on the stove.

Senior station officer Bryce Coneybeer said it was important for people to "keep looking when cooking".

The first fire was on Bignell St but was out when the fire service arrived.

The fire wasn't serious, "but it could have been", Mr Coneybeer said. There was damage to the floor where hot oil had spilled.The resident had working smoke alarms, which alerted her to the fire in time.

Station officer Bryan Coskerie said the second fire happened when the resident left the house with the pot still on the stove.

The callout to the Liverpool St address came in at 1.30pm.

Smoke was visible when firefighters arrived but there was no damage to the house, and officers ventilated it, Mr Coskerie said.

It was a "timely reminder" for everybody to make sure they checked their homes before leaving.