Fire and Emergency New Zealand shares tips to prevent winter fires in homes as temperature drops

A 54 per cent increase in the number of winter house fires in the last 10 years can be attributed to heat sources such as chimney fires, and fires caused by heaters, ash disposal, electric blankets and dryers. Photo / Bevan Conley

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) has issued a set of simple steps to help people stay safe from fire as temperatures drop.

Fenz community education manager, Adrian Nacey, highlighted the importance of getting chimneys swept and cleaned before using them for the first time in the season.

He explained that over the past decade, there has been a 54 per cent increase in winter house fires caused by heat sources like chimney fires, heaters, ash disposal, electric blankets, and dryers.

However, there has been a 7 per cent decrease in these types of fires in the last three years, compared with the previous six years.

Fenz wants to continue this positive trend and urged people to take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of fire in their homes.

These measures include using fireguards or spark guards, disposing of ash carefully, keeping flammable items at least a metre away from heaters, and regularly cleaning lint filters in dryers.

Nacey also warned about the fire risks associated with old or damaged electric blankets and advised testing them at the start of winter.

He reminded people to use electric blankets for heating beds before getting in and to turn them off before sleeping.

Twisted cords were identified as a common cause of electric blanket fires and should be avoided.

Detailed instructions on how to prepare home heating appliances can be found on the Fenz website.