He left his chip pan unattended to go to the toilet and returned to find it on fire at about 6pm.
He carried it out to the landing of the flats in Aldham House Lane, Wombwell, burning himself in the process.
A neighbour put the chip pan out before fire crews from Cudworth and Dearne got there.
The man did not attend hospital and was fortunate that his kitchen suffered only smoke damage, according to fire bosses.
Earlier, a Thurnscoe resident got away with minor damage to the cooker after their chip pan caught fire at around 5pm.
They put the fire out with a damp tea towel before leaving the house on Walbert Avenue unharmed.
Diane Malpass, head of community safety for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said people should get rid of chip pans as they were a clear fire hazard.
"People might think we preach to them about chip pans but these incidents show they are a very real danger," she said.
"Throwing away chip pans will help to prevent one of the main causes of serious house fires and injuries. We would recommend that people either use oven chips, or buy a deep fat fryer that can be controlled by a thermostat."
