Home

Firies warn: protect your home in winter

Busselton Dunsborough Times

Firefighters are urging Capes residents to take precautions to avert preventable house fires this winter, which have the potential to cause significant property damage, injury and even death.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the majority of accidental house fires last year were preventable and there were basic actions people could take to stay safe.

DFES Superintendent Craig Waters said people should be careful around heating devices and open fires or when using candles and electric blankets, which are used more during the cooler months and could often cause fires.

He said, on average, five people lose their lives in house fires each year.

Busselton Volunteer Fire and Rescue captain Rob Papalia said while there were no major incidents last winter, there had been a number of smaller incidents including chimney fires and fires where objects were left too close to an open fire.

“Luckily these people were alerted by their smoke alarms, but these fires had the potential to become a lot bigger,” he said.

He recommended residents clean their chimneys before using their slow combustion heaters and keep furniture away from fires and heaters.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails