Fire services urge action on preventable fires

FOR many Victorians, the fire season means the hot and dry days of summer, but it is winter that brings more preventable house fires than any other season.

The CFA and MFB last week launched their Residential Fire Safety Campaign to raise awareness of some of the ways people can be more fire safe around the house.

Across the state, there were about 15 per cent more preventable house fires last winter compared to the other seasons, with MFB attending 423 and CFA attending 467 preventable house fires.

While unattended cooking is the single largest cause of fire in the home across the year, heatingrelatedm fires rise in winter.

In CFA areas, there were 121 chimney fires and 29 fires related to wood-fuelled heating. Preventable fires also started when clothes were drying too close to the heat source, in clothes dryers and from candles.

Between May 1 and June 13m CFA and MFB fire investigators have already attended fires caused by candles left unattended close to furniture, cooking left unattended, embers from open fire place falling onto carpet, and portable heaters left too close to some towels CFA chief officer Steve Warrington warned that there was no off-season when it comes to fires.

“Winter is a time where we’re spending more time inside keeping warm by enjoying an open fire and a home-cooked meal or cranking up the heater.

It’s also when we have to be most vigilant, as there are more residential fire risks within the house,” he said.

“Now is the time to check your electric blankets and heaters. If there is a chance something is faulty, don’t take the risk.”

Other fire safety tips include keeping clothing a safe distance from heaters, cleaning the lint filters in clothes dryers, turning off electrical appliances that are not being used, avoiding placing weighty objects on beds with electric blankets, and taking care when cooking.

The fire and rescue services are encouraging Victorians to replace their old smoke alarms with new units, which come with a lithium battery with a 10-year lifespan.

Check out CFA’s complete home fire safety check list at cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/homefire- safety-checklist.