Cambridgeshire Fire And Rescue Service Offers Ways To Stay Fire Safe As The Bank Holiday Approaches

As the warm weather looks set to continue for the coming days, leading up to the bank holiday weekend, residents are being urged to stay fire safe, while enjoying the sunshine.

Many people may be looking to dust off the BBQ, as opportunities have been limited so far this summer, along with lighting bonfires or firepits. As much as these can be enjoyable, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service wants to ensure residents are aware of the risks and keep themselves and their families safe.

Basic safety tips

Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the BBQ away from fencing, fences and vegetation"

Station Commander - Gareth Boyd, Community Risk Manager for the Service, said: “We know people will be wanting to make the most of the warm weather, and we really want to encourage people to do this safely. Having a BBQ is a great way to get together with family and friends, but they can easily lead to a fire if people don’t follow some basic safety tips. Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the BBQ away from fencing, buildings and garden furniture, keeping a bucket of water close by, and only disposing of the charcoal once it’s cooled."

He adds, “Ideally, we would advise residents to avoid lighting bonfires and garden fires. They can quickly get out of hand and spread to nearby buildings, fences and vegetation, which can cause significant damage and put people at risk. We would always recommend using the local waste collection service or visiting local waste centers.”

Result of adding flammable liquid

In recent months, crews have been responding to incidents involving bonfires where flammable liquids, such as lighter fluid, white spirit, or petrol, have been used, causing significant damage and injury.

Station Commander - Gareth Boyd, said: “We urge residents, if they are planning to have some kind of bonfire, to never, under any circumstances, add any accelerant like a flammable liquid. This can easily get a fire out of control and spread rapidly to the rest of the garden and the property. We have seen recent examples of people being seriously injured as a result of adding flammable liquid to a fire, which highlights how dangerous it is.''

Fire risk assessment

Gareth Boyd adds, “As we head into what will hopefully be a sunny and warm bank holiday weekend, we hope people will take a few precautions and follow our simple tips to avoid having a significant, and potentially life-threatening, fire.”

Another way to help keep the home fire safe is to use an online home safety check, which allows one to carry out own fire risk assessment.