A BRAVE dad was left with severe burns after rescuing his son from a house fire on his third birthday.

Craig Jones, 30, smashed a living room window with a plant pot to rescue Cory from a blaze at their home on Maes Grug, Ponciau, yesterday afternoon.

An unattended chip pan caught light in the kitchen after Craig and Cory went to open presents.

Craig was left with severe burns to both hands and suffered burns to his feet and face.

He was rushed to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital and later transferred to the special burns unit at Whiston Hospital, St Helens, Merseyside.

Cory was left unharmed by the fire and his mother Amanda, who is a teacher, was at work at the time of the blaze.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “Cory has never been allowed in the kitchen for safety reasons and there are child safety handles on the door.

“Craig was cooking Cory chips for a treat for his birthday.

“He went back into the lounge to open presents and closed the door behind him.

“When he went back into the kitchen he threw the chip pan out of the back door and he burnt his hands.

“His hands were burnt down to the bone.

“The kitchen was on fire and he could not open the doors because of the handle so he went round the front of the house and smashed a window with a plant pot.

“The main thing is that they are okay, but Craig is taking the blame.”

Firefighters from Wrexham and Johnstown were called to the property at about 12.45pm.

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “The man was alerted to the kitchen fire by a smoke alarm in the property.

“He immediately went to deal with the fire but unfortunately in the process of doing so he incurred severe burns to both hands and required hospital treatment.

“The cause of the fire was an unattended chip pan and there was heat and smoke damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to the remainder of the property.”

Andy Robb from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “This incident once again highlights the dangers of chip pans, especially when left unattended.

“In just a few minutes, the oil can overheat and cause the pan to ignite – fire catches hold quickly, and can cause devastation to a property.

“My sincere advice is to throw away your old style chip pan – thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers are a far safer option. Don’t ever put water on a chip pan fire.

“I would also advise that on hearing a smoke alarm you should get out, stay out and call the emergency services – never try to deal with a fire yourself.”

For a free fire safety check call 0800 169 1234 or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk.