Shocking figures reveal firefighters called to more than 300 kitchen blazes in West Sussex

Firefighters were called to more than 300 blazes in kitchens last year, it has been revealed.
A kitchen blaze that broke out in a West Sussex homeA kitchen blaze that broke out in a West Sussex home
A kitchen blaze that broke out in a West Sussex home

This comes as the fire service is set to be serving up advice to their local communities on how to stay safe in the kitchen for cooking fire safety month.

In 2017, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) were called to 317 kitchen fires – the source of ignition for 52 per cent of these was the cooker. Therefore, residents are recommended to never leave your cooking unattended.

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Firefighters will be running dedicated safety events at Wickes, Littlehampton, on Thursday, February 15 and in Bunnings, Chichester on Saturday,February 24.

Kieran Amos, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “Kitchen fires make up a large majority of the incidents that our crews attend. Reducing the number of these fires remains a high priority for the service.

“Therefore, we are urging residents to remain vigilant and take extra care when cooking.

“The two most important pieces of advice that we can give are: never leave your cooking unattended and please make sure you have working smoke alarms on each level of your property that you test weekly.”

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Last year, around 40 per cent of kitchen fires that WSFRS attended, involved those who were aged 65 and older, and most of these were people living alone.

If you know someone that lives on their own, perhaps a relative or a neighbour, the fire service is encouraging you to check that they have working smoke alarms in their property and to ensure that they are living in a safe environment. Working smoke alarms really do save lives.

For more information on cooking safety, visit the kitchen fire safety page on WSFRS’ website.

To find out if you are eligible for a ‘Safe and Well’ visit call 0345 872 9719.