REGINA – There’s been a significant rise in the number of careless cooking fires in Regina and it’s a growing trend fire crews are working to stop.
Fires caused by careless cooking in the city reached a ten-year high in 2013.
“They’re actually one of the easiest fires to prevent,” said Angela Prawzick, a public education officer with Regina Fire & Protective Services.
Between 2003 and 2013, the latest data currently available, the number of careless cooking fires rose almost every year from 11 to 80, respectively, causing $3,853,461 in damage. That type of fire resulted in five deaths between 1992-2013.
Careless cooking was the cause of a fire at an apartment on Cambridge Avenue earlier this month.
The department is now working with the University of Regina to collect more information on fires in the city: the specific cause, where occupants of a home were during the incident, and the occupants’ ages and genders, among other data.
The department has noticed a particular pattern already.
“We know from our firefighters responding to fires in the community that we have more fires, certainly over the last year or two, involving newcomers, who have just arrived into our community,” said Prawzick.
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She said switching from gas stoves to the electric counterpart can pose a particular challenge. New users may accidentally leave electric stoves on since there is no flame visible or the sound of gas to remind someone the stove is on.
That centre partners with the fire department to help newcomers with life skills training related to fire safety.
“Fire safety is not something that they may have had education on before or any conversations on before, so I think it’s just a whole new ballgame,” said Sachdev.
Prawzick’s tips on keeping the kitchen fire safe include removing trip hazards along with clutter on and near stoves. The most important tip, she said, is to stay in the kitchen the entire time when cooking.
The City of Regina’s website has more tips on fire safety.
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