Victorians killed in house fires hits ten-year high, with 22 perishing in 2020 alone

The number of Victorians dying in house fires has hit a ten-year high as the reasons behind the “clear increase” in fatalities is revealed.

The number of Victorians killed in house fires has reached a ten-year high, a new fire services report has found.

Twenty-two people died in preventable house fires in 2020 alone, an increase from 16 the year before, and above the long-term annual average of 18.

The majority of those deadly blazes began at night, between 9pm and 6am, with 72 per cent starting in living areas and bedrooms.

Half of the recorded 18 fatal house fires last year did not have working smoke alarms, firefighters say.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said there was a “clear increase” in fatal fire risk in the rooms where people sleep and rest.

A man died after a ferocious blaze tore through an apartment block in Dandenong earlier this month.

But worryingly, a new survey revealed just 19 per cent of people had smoke alarms in any bedroom, while only 15 per cent had interconnected smoke alarms in their home.

The survey of 428 Victorians also found that smoke alarms were most commonly found in hallway areas, with just 62 per cent of households having a smoke alarm in any living area.

Despite ten of the deadly fires in 2020 starting in the lounge room, over 60 per cent of Victorians were under the impression that the kitchen was the riskiest place.

Statistics show that in the past 10 years, the kitchen was the most common room of fire ignition for non-fatal incidents, but fires that caused serious injury or death most commonly started in lounge and bedroom areas.

Mr Heffernan said: “We want people to be aware there is a real and dangerous threat of fire in bedrooms and living areas because that’s where we most commonly see fatal house fires start.”

A man died after a ferocious blaze tore through an apartment block in Dandenong earlier this month, while just days later a mother and her daughter were also killed when their Tallarook property went up in flames.

A memorial outside the apartment complex in Glen Waverley where a mother and her three children died in a house fire. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Acting Fire Rescue Commissioner Ken Brown said the “heartbreaking and preventable” deaths demonstrated why it was so important for Victorians to have working smoke alarms in their homes.

“Working smoke alarms offer you the best chance of surviving a fire, and without one your risk of dying in a house fire dramatically increases,” A/C Brown said.

“We know most fatal fires start at night, and the smell of smoke will not wake you up, so it is crucial you have smoke alarms in all bedrooms, living areas and hallways.”

The warning comes after a quarterly report by Fire Services Implementation Monitor Niall Blair, released last month, found the CFA had failed to meet a target of decreasing fire related injuries and deaths.

Victorians can purchase interconnected smoke alarms at most local hardware stores. Some are connected wirelessly, which don’t require hardwiring by an electrician.