There is a 10 per cent increase in the number of house fires during the cooler months with more fires in bedrooms and lounge rooms due to heaters and electric blankets.
In 2020, FRNSW attended 3,740 residential house fires. This year, it has already attended more than 1,270 residential house fires, of which there were seven preventable fatalities.
Residents should also ‘keep looking when cooking’ to avoid kitchen fire catastrophes.
“Kitchen fires account for 45 per cent of all residential fires and 34 per cent of injuries in NSW. Flames or heat sources being left unattended are the most common cause contributing to kitchen fires,” a spokesperson said.
“It can take just three minutes for a fire to take hold, but only seconds to prevent one.”
There are a number of other simple steps you can take to prepare your home against the risk of fire:
• Turn off heaters and electric blankets before leaving home or getting into bed;
• Clean lint filters in the clothes dryer before or after each use;
• Don’t overload power pboards;
• Keep candles away from curtains and put them out before leaving the room;
• Don’t use LPG cylinders for cooking or heating indoors as they can leak; and
• Ensure you have a working smoke alarm.
Launching the Fire and Rescue NSW Winter Fire Safety Campaign, Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott said tragically, there have already been seven fire fatalities this year and winter is still ahead of us.
“A fire can take hold in just three minutes, filling your home with deadly smoke. I recommend you heed the advice of firefighters to ensure that you and your loved ones are home fire safe this winter,” he said.
“FRNSW does a great job in protecting our community however if we all do our bit to minimise the risks in our home, we can all stay safer together.”
