Warning issued as cookers revealed as leading cause of house fires in Suffolk

A warning has been issued as cookers were revealed as the leading cause of house fires in Suffolk.

Since 2021, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to 1,114 electrical fires, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Legal Expert.

A spokesman for the service has confirmed that 61 per cent of these, or 680, took place at residential properties.

According to the data, 268 – or 39 per cent – of these were caused by cookers, while 164 were caused by wiring, cables or plugs.

In addition,160 were due to electrical faults, 78 were caused by a hot plate and 37 because of a tumble dryer.

According to the Home Office, roughly 4,000 house fires are caused by faulty appliances in the UK per year.

The fire service spokesman said cooking remained the leading cause of fire and injury in the home, which only increased when people had with conditions affecting memory or cognitive processes.

He said: “We advise everyone to keep cooking surfaces clear of items such as food packaging or tea towels, as the cooker can be accidentally activated and this can easily cause a fire.”

“Cooking should never be left unattended and you should never leave the house with items in the oven or on the stove – even for a short while.

“By far the best defence is a working smoke alarm, correctly installed and regularly checked.”