Firefighters in Sheffield await moment of truth in bid for Christmas number one

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue teamed up with the Everly Pregnant Brothers to release Chip Pan as a charity single, with firefighters starring in the video recorded at Sheffield Central fire station.

The festive number one is due to be revealed this afternoon on BBC Radio 1 and on the Official Charts Company website at 5.45pm.

Regardless of where they end up on the hit parade, with the top spot looking an increasingly unlikely prospect, the brigade said firefighters had been heartened by the torrent of public support from across South Yorkshire.

As well as raising awareness of the dangers posed by chip pans and late night cooking, it said the song's success had given succour to firefighters and other members of the emergency services working over Christmas.

Sales of the single are also believed to have raised thousands of pounds for Age UK Sheffield and the national homelessness charity Shelter.

Assistant chief fire officer Martin Blunden said: "This campaign was clearly a bit of festive fun, but with chip pans still responsible for large numbers of house fires every year, we think it's important to raise awareness of important safety messages in different ways.

"We also wanted to remind people that across the UK thousands of firefighters and 999 operators- not to mention many more of their colleagues in the emergency services- will be on duty this Christmas keeping people safe.

“None of it would have been possible without the work of firefighters at Central fire station or the Everly Pregnant Brothers. But we also want to thank people locally for really getting behind the campaign in a big way."

Chip Pan is a parody version of the Kings of Leon's Sex On Fire, with the lyrics changed to tell the tale of a man who sets his house alight by cooking after a night's drinking.

The single was flying high in 15th spot after 24 hours of sales this week, but later slipped to 73rd.

Its popularity earned firefighters an appearance alongside the Everly Pregnant Brothers on Channel 4's The Last Leg, and the song topped Spotify's Viral 50 chart of the most streamed and shared tracks on Thursday.

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