FIREFIGHTERS have urged people to be safe in the kitchen after a shop blaze was put down to “unsafe cooking”.

London Fire Brigade issued a new warning that people should never leave hobs and grills unattended after the incident in Balls Pond Road, Mildmay, on Saturday afternoon.

The ground floor shop and flats above were damaged. One man left the building before crews from Holloway, Euston and Shoreditch fire stations arrived.

He was treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service.

The brigade warned about the fire risks of cooking with large amounts of oil, and said that its general advice was that people should order a takeaway if they’ve been drinking or are on medication that might make them drowsy.

“Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill – if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat,” a spokesperson said.

“Fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home.”