• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS

Young professionals account for third of all London kitchen fires

September 7, 2010 by Martin Hoscik

Almost a third of all kitchen fires in London happen in the homes of young professionals according to new figures released by the London Fire Brigade.

Brigade figures show there have been over 17,500 fires in London kitchens in the past five years resulting in over 2600 injuries and 24 deaths.

A study of the figures reveals that nearly one in three of these occurred in the homes of young professionals and that in total, kitchen fires account for 60 percent of residential fires in the capital.

Andy Hickmott, London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Community Safety, said the new figures challenged the popular perception that “serious fires only happen to vulnerable people”.

“I think, with young professionals more than others, there’s an attitude that it won’t happen to me. But our latest figures speak for themselves – it can happen and it has to thousands of Londoners”.

In a bid to reduce the number of kitchen fires the Brigade is launching a new campaign called COOKSAFE which will include a series of events aimed at highlighting common kitchen fire risks as well as a online advice from www.london-fire.gov.uk/cooksafe.

On Friday firefighters will be in Borough Market from 11.30am where they will be joined by a top chef to show shoppers how to cook safely and reduce the risks of fire.

The Brigade has also issued a list of kitchen safety tips:

  • Never leave cooking unattended, even for a moment
  • Always make sure the cooker is switched off once you’ve finished using it
  • Keep your oven, hob and grill clean and free from grease – a build up can be a fire hazard
  • Don’t store things like cookbooks or teatowels close to the hob as they can easily catch fire
  • Avoid cooking if you’ve been drinking alcohol
  • Never fill a pan more than a third full with oil
  • Dry chips before putting them in oil
  • Never throw water onto hot oil or fat
  • If a fire does break out you should turn the heat off if it’s safe to do so but don’t try to tackle the fire by yourself. Get everyone out of the house and call 999 immediately.
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Filed Under: News

RECENT UPDATES

Tube and rail users to benefit from Oyster weekly fares cap

Mayor and TfL call on ministers to help plug funding gap

Tube to get full mobile phone coverage from 2024

TfL says Direct Vision Standard is already making HGVs safer for London road users




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

Copyright © 2025 · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy