Rachel Toyer nearly lost her house while sterilising a baby bottle

A Goodwood mum had the fright of her life when her kitchen nearly caught alight. Now she wants others to learn from her mistake.

Rachel Toyer is urging people to have a fire plan after a close call at her own property. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but Rachel Toyer nearly lost everything before learning this the hard way – and she wants others to learn from her split second mistake.

On January 5 2021, the 40-year-old mother of one from Goodwood was at home taking care of her three-month old son Arlo.

Coming off a sleepless night, Ms Toyer put the baby bottle in a pot of boiling water to sterilise it, as she had done many other times.

Rachel Toyer with her son Arlo, now aged three. Picture: Brett Hartwig

She then retreated to the bedroom to rest her feet, but accidentally dozed off.

“I shut the doors to keep the sun out so my son could sleep... I didn’t think it was that big a deal.” Ms Toyer told The Advertiser.

Waking up half an hour later, she couldn’t detect a hint of smoke until she opened the kitchen door and saw it filling the room.

“I thought the problem was that I left the stove on with a pot of boiling water,” she said.

“I blew on the smoke, not realising it was flammable, highly flammable actually, as I’ve found out from a number of other people.”

At that moment – recorded on video – a column of fire erupted from the boiling pot and “hit the ceiling”.

“I ran from the house and called the neighbour because I knew he had a fire blanket,” she said.

“The only reason I knew is because I’d been making fun of him, calling him a ‘grandma’ or overly cautious, saying things like, ‘that’s what we have the fire brigade for’.”

A firefighter later told her that “the whole kitchen could have been in flames” as she had kept cooking oils above the stove.

She said they have now been moved and a smoke alarm has been installed in the kitchen.

“When I tell people about it, they seem to make excuses why they don’t have to take these precautions,” Ms Toyer said.

“The firefighter told me most people don’t share their stories because they find them embarrassing, but I wanted to share my story so others could learn from it.”

New research by fire safety company Brooks Australia found 48 per cent of Australian parents have left an active stovetop unattended, while 40 per cent have left an electrical appliance unattended.

Brooks Australia chief executive Cathy Brand said she often hears of fires starting because of “unique situations” like Rachel’s.

“It can be the smallest thing you don’t think about until hindsight,” Ms Brand said.

“No one proactively looks up at the ceiling and goes, ‘Maybe I should check the fire alarm,’ or, ‘Maybe I should check the expiry date,’ until something like this happens.

“Just because there’s legislation out there with minimal requirements doesn’t mean you can’t install more smoke alarms.”

Ms Brand also encouraged people to devise escape plans and to practice them, especially if there are young children in the house.

“No one wants to face this situation in hindsight so be proactive and prepare for it,” she said.