A dozen fires in Brimbank households this winter could have been prevented, according to new figures by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Country Fire Authority (CFA).
Since June, MFB and CFA firefighters have attended 556 preventable house fires across Victoria, the highest numbers being in Port Phillip (14 fires), Brimbank and Melbourne’s CBD (both 12). Two out of every five of the statewide fires originated in the kitchen.
CFA acting deputy chief officer Gavin Thompson said unattended cooking, careless smoking habits, poorly maintained appliances or hanging clothes too close to a heater were all common fire starters.
“It’s very easy to get distracted around dinner time,” Mr Thompson said.
“What we’re seeing is people making small mistakes in the home that are causing property damage and posing a risk to home owners and their families.
“We recommend that people take extra care when cooking to ensure they don’t accidentally start a house fire. Either turn off the stove when leaving the room,
or take a wooden spoon or utensil with you so you remember to go back.”
In 2013, the CFA and MFB attended 3559 preventable residential fires across the state, resulting in an estimated $90 million in property loss.
The CFA and MFB joined forces last month to launch their Safe Mistake Zone campaign to increase awareness of the thousands of preventable home fires that are caused by small mistakes each year.
