General News
1 July, 2025
CFA urges kitchen safety
The CFA is urging statewide caution after more than 900 kitchen-related house fires were recorded across Victoria in less than 12 months.
Between May 17, 2024 and March 31, 2025, Fire Rescue Victoria attended 750 residential fires that started in the kitchen, accounting for nearly half of all residential fires during that period.
During the same period, CFA responded to 219 structure fires originating in the kitchen, representing 28.3 percent of all house fires in CFA serviced areas.
The combined total equates to an average of just over three kitchen fires per day in Victoria.
Goldfields Group Officer Peter Higgins said the Central Goldfields has not been exempt from these figures.
“We have been battered around a bit in the sense that there have been three fatal house fires in the last six months, so there has been a bit of attention drawn to these types of fires,” he said.
Mr Higgins said it is hard to determine how many fire incidents occur within the kitchen, as many are quickly addressed without the CFA being called.
“You would not believe the amount of kitchen fires that do not get reported. Say, if you’re just boiling oil and have left the fry pan on after you have gone into the lounge room distracted by TV, but you were able to put it out without calling Triple Zero, there are a lot of those that go unreported,” he said.
Mr Higgins said the structure of many modern kitchens is one reason why fires can rapidly cause so much damage throughout the home.
“Most households have an exhaust fan above the stove. Once flames get into there, with a lot of new designs, it can get straight into wall cavities, once that happens, it causes a fair bit of grief in the house,” he said.
“There is the push from gas to electrical appliances, but once you turned the gas on, it could be seen. These new electric hot plates don’t even need a switch, you just put a pot on and it gets hot.
“If somebody rings on the phone, that is an easy way to be distracted. But in the kitchen, if it’s on, it’s watched.”
However, Mr Higgins has a blanket rule for all locals to prevent kitchen fires progressing.
“There are probably a lot of households that don’t have fire blankets.But they are cheap, you can buy them at Woolies or Bunnings, for the sake for $20, you could be saving yourself a lot of damage,” he said.
“It’s a simple fix. If you’ve come back from that lounge room into the kitchen and flames have started on that oil, just pull the fire blanket out, whack it over the top, and that puts it out.”
Victoria’s fire agencies encourage all Victorians to take the following steps to remain safe while in the kitchen:
Pay attention in the kitchen and never leave cooking unattended.
Take extra care around open flames if wearing flowing or loose-fitting clothing.
Always supervise children, keep them away from the stove top and oven.
Keep stove top, griller, oven, range hood and cooking area free from built up grease, dust and oil.
Combustibles such as tea towels and paper towels must be kept away from cooking and heat sources.
Make sure kitchen appliances are clean and in good working order. Keep pot handles turned in.
A fire extinguisher and fire blanket should be installed within easy reach but away from the cooking area.
Victorian Fire Services recommend you only use a fire extinguisher or fire blanket if you feel physically and mentally able to use this equipment safely.