Fire team is urging people not to cook up kitchen trouble
LANCASHIRE Fire & Rescue Service (LFRS) has asked Rossendale to “Stay there and cook it” to prevent cooking fires this festive season.
Around half of all accidental house fires that fire and rescue services attend each year are cooking related.
Research by the fire service shows most cooking fires were caused by the person becoming distracted by something in the home, with 119 cooking fires caused by distractions in 2020 – and half of these in the month of December alone.
Whether it’s a visitor at the door, a phone call or the kids’ new toys, simple distractions can have devastating effects when cooking.
Group manager
Kirsty McCreesh, the prevention lead for LFRS, said: “Our data shows that cooking fires can happen to anyone; they are the most common type of fires in people’s homes that we attend, and we want to see the number significantly reduced and an end to injuries.
“We always see a rise in cooking-related incidents in the festive season and there are plenty of simple things that people can do to drastically reduce the chance that they will experience one and these include staying with cooking, not getting distracted and keeping the hob and surrounding area clean and clear.
“Make sure that you have working smoke alarms and, should a fire occur, get out, stay out and call us out.”
For further advice visit www. lancsfirerescue.org.uk/ cooking