Windham Fire Department Warns Against Household Fires

Last month, fires destroyed two Windham homes in one day. Though those blazes were caused by lightning, there are many other ways that homes are lost, especially as the weather gets cooler and more people cook inside.

With that in mind, the Windham Fire Department issued the following advisory release regarding the upcoming Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12.

The Windham Fire Department in cooperation with New Hampshire State Fire Marshal, J. William Degnan are joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the New Hampshire Association of Fire Chiefs and New London Fire Chief Jason Lyon to remind NH residents to ‘Prevent Kitchen Fires.' During this year's fire safety campaign, firefighters and safety advocates will be spreading the word about the dangers of kitchen fires--most of which result from unattended cooking—and teaching local residents how to prevent kitchen fires from starting in the first place. Marshal Degnan states, “Fires originating in the kitchen in 2012 in the State of New Hampshire resulted in 118 structure fires, 17 civilian injuries, and 2 civilian fatalities."

According to the latest NFPA research, cooking is the leading cause of home fires. Two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen—more than any other place in the home. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of home fire-related injuries.  "Often when we're called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents tell us that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes," said Chief  Lyon "Sadly, that's all it takes for a dangerous fire to start.”

Marshal Degnan states, “We hope that Fire Prevention Week will help us reach folks in all NH communities and throughout the state before they've suffered a damaging lesson.”

Among the safety tips that firefighters and safety advocates will be emphasizing: