Fire officers in Cleveland are urging residents to consider that a third of fatal accidental house fires are alcohol related before relaxing and enjoying a drink this festive season.

Cleveland Fire Brigade has launched its Stay Safe and Celebrate campaign which aims to raise awareness of common causes of house fires over Christmas.

One of the key messages is 'Don't Drink and Fry - if you have a festive drink don't cook'. The risk of accidents, particularly in the kitchen, is greater after alcohol is consumed.

Les Jones, Head of Community Safety said: "We want people to enjoy themselves over Christmas, but we want them to do it safely. It only takes one act of carelessness when cooking to result in someone losing their home, their possessions or their life.

"Often the person who has been drinking will not wake up when a fire takes hold, particularly if they do not have a working smoke alarm. Even when the alarm is raised and firefighters enter the home, it is not uncommon for a person to have lost consciousness and died through smoke inhalation.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Brigade's website - www.clevelandfire.gov.uk/celebrate - where they can click on to an interactive house and get detailed safety information and advice.

 

Posted December 13th, 2011 at 0825 by Andrew. Comment by emailing: andrew.lynch@pavpub.com