More than 200 fires started in East Sussex kitchens last year

With more than half of all accidental fires starting in the kitchen, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is urging people to take extra care to prevent a potentially fatal accident.
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In the year from April 2020, 243 accidental dwelling fires started in the kitchen – more than 55 per cent of all reported.

Common causes include forgetting about cooking, items like tea towels being too close to hot hobs and faulty electrical items.

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Jules King, assistant director of safer communities, said, “While accidental fires in the home are at their lowest level ever in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, we are determined to cut that number further.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. SUS-200430-105315001East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. SUS-200430-105315001
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. SUS-200430-105315001

“Simple things like not plugging too many gadgets into one socket or keeping an eye on cooking really do make a difference.”

ESFRS offer online safety checks and free home safety visits – by phone or in person – to everyone in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

The easy-to-follow home fire safety check has been developed through a partnership between the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Fire Kills and Safelincs.

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The check takes participants through their home one room at a time and the simple questions will help people spot fire risks in their house.

Tips and advice will also be offered so people can reduce those risks.

As part of the National Fire Chief Council’s Home Safety Week which starts today, June 14, figures were released about which boroughs and stations deal with the most reports of accidental dwelling fires.

In the year from April 2020, Brighton had the most accidental dwelling fires with 155 of the 443 reported.

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Preston Circus was the station that dealt with most of these incidents with 85.

Eastbourne was revealed to be the borough that had the second-most amount of accidental dwelling fires with 75 while Hastings recorded 67.

Rother had 57 reports, Wealden had 54 and Lewes was the borough with the lowest number of incidents as they had 35 accidental dwelling fires.