Cooking equipment, heaters, coolers top causes for Melbourne house fires
Firefighters are confronted with about four house fires every day, with almost half starting in one room alone. But the MFB says the blazes are “preventable” and all people have to do is follow these simple tips.
South East
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Cooking equipment, heaters and air conditioners sparked the most house fires in Melbourne over the past year, new data has revealed.
Now, Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters have urged homeowners to take “simple actions” which could mean the difference between life and death.
It comes as firefighters battled an average of close to four residential blazes per day in the 12 months from May last year, with almost one third (32.3 per cent) sparked by cooking equipment.
Almost half (48.1 per cent) of the “preventable” blazes started in the kitchen.
“Data from May 2019 to April this year showed MFB firefighters responded to 1386 residential fires … that’s an average of nearly four house fires every day,” MFB acting deputy chief officer community resilience Adam Dalrymple told the Leader.
“Around one in 10 fires were caused by heating or cooling systems (11.5 per cent), faulty electrical equipment (10.4 per cent), and improperly disposed of smoking materials (8 per cent).
“The data also showed an increase in preventable residential fires during the winter months, compared to other seasons.”
Energy Safe Victoria director of energy safety Marnie Williams said people should use the product-specific charger for all appliances and be wary of claims made by manufacturers about compatibility with all types of products.
“The best way to avoid the risk of a fire (started by an appliance) is to use the appliance-specific charger … power supplies and chargers are classified as equipment that requires certification and registration,” she said.
“We recommend that people looking to buy a generic charger check the Electrical Equipment Safety Scheme website where they can check that both the supplier and the charger is registered.
“If you are not sure if a charger is compatible with an appliance, call the appliance manufacturer or supplier.”
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Mr Dalrymple urged homeowners to never leave cooking unattended and to turn off all appliances — including heaters and electric blankets — before going to bed.
“MFB firefighters attend thousands of preventable house fires each year,” he said.
“These simple actions will keep you safe and could mean the difference between life and death.”