Victorian preventable house fire statistics

In 2017, in CFA districts, there were 1588 preventable house fires, causing more than $42 million in damage.

Overall, preventable residential fires were down 2.9% in 2017.

The areas with the costliest damage were in Melbourne’s peri-urban fringe, including the districts covering the suburbs Dandenong, Caroline Springs and Narre Warren.

Most preventable fires start in the kitchen, followed by lounge rooms, bedrooms, chimneys and then garages.

The 2017 Preventable Fire Statistics demonstrate that while CFA community education efforts are having a profound effect, there is a long way to go in reducing the amount of preventable fires in our community.

The number of fires starting in the kitchen is down 8% from 2016; however they still make up more than a third (37%) of incidents. Cooking related fires are down 12%. Fires starting at stoves, ovens and cooktops led to 274 incidents.

Electrical fires are the largest cause of property loss, causing an estimated $9.8 million in damage.

CFA Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said that while the drop in preventable fires was encouraging, home fire safety education and preparedness remained a top priority for the CFA.

“Working smoke alarms save lives. This is clearly demonstrated through the fact that while there were more than 1500 preventable house fires across the state, property loss was far greater than the loss of life,” Acting Chief Officer Cook said.

“Our message is clear. Check your smoke alarm’s battery and if your smoke alarm is aged 10 years or more the whole unit should be changed.”

Acting Chief Officer Cook said the figures also showed how the services of CFA were changing.

“Yes, we fight bushfires but we do so much more. We are an urban firefighting authority that operates throughout Victoria, including across 60% of metropolitan Melbourne’.

“A 2.9% drop in incidents in a calendar year is a solid result, given the population growth rate that has been concentrated in CFA’s service area.”

Acting Chief Officer Cook said education was often an overlooked, but arguably the most important, aspect of what CFA does.

“The best way to stop a fire is to teach a person how to be safe in the home and stop a fire before it even begins. This includes reaching out to our multi-cultural communities, making sure regardless of whether you speak English or not you are safe around fires.”

“Whether we are educating people about not drying clothes too close to the heater, never leaving cooking unattended, or keeping lighters away from children, it is all part of our ultimate goal of protecting life and property.”

Source: CFA

 ENDS