Australian state reports concerning spike in home fires

Sydney, Oct 13 (IANS) The fire agency in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Friday voiced its concern about the rising number of house fires, urging households to check their smoke alarms.

Data collected by the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) showed that there were 1,063 residential fires during this year winter season, an increase of 119 incidents compared to the same period last year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The fire authority noted that NSW has recorded the largest number of winter residential fires since 2019 when 1,092 such blazes were reported.

According to FRNSW, eight people were killed in preventable winter residential fires this year, down from 17 deaths in 2022; while 115 others were injured by fires in their homes, up by 32.2 percent from last year.

Human activity, undetermined causes, arson, electrical faults and overheating were flagged as the leading triggers for the winter fires.

FRNSW Acting Assistant Commissioner David Felton underlined that the figures reinforce the need for working smoke alarms in homes.

"In almost half the fires we go to each winter, there's no working smoke alarm present," he warned.

"That's not going to protect you or your loved ones if a fire breaks out," the officer added.