Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in Clarington: tips to keep you safe

Clarington, Ontario – Fire Prevention Week runs from October 8 to 14, and Clarington Emergency and Fire Services is reminding families of simple but important actions they can take to stay safe and prevent household cooking fires:

• Always keep a close eye on what you’re cooking. Use a timer for foods with longer cook times.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.
• Create a kid-free and pet-free zone of at least one meter around cooking areas to help prevent accidents.

“Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires in Clarington, and they are also the most preventable,” said Clarington’s Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Matt Muirhead. “Fire Prevention Week is a great time to remind families that cooking safety starts with you. The best way to reduce your risk of a fire is by paying attention to fire prevention.”

Emergency and Fire Services will be at local grocery stores throughout the week to share information about fire safety. Visit us at one of the following locations:

October 10

• Newcastle Foodland – 9 to 11 a.m.
• Newcastle No Frills – 1 to 3 p.m.

October 11

• Bowmanville Metro – 9 to 11 a.m.
• Bowmanville Loblaws – 1 to 3 p.m.

October 12

• Bowmanville FreshCo – 9 to 11 a.m.
• Bowmanville Walmart – 1 to 3 p.m.

October 13

• Courtice FreshCo – 9 to 11 a.m.
• Courtice Food Basics – 1 to 3 p.m.

Photo cutline: Matt Muirhead, Chief Fire Prevention Officer, and Jeff Norris, Fire Prevention Officer, share information with residents about fire prevention at Foodland in Newcastle.

Learn more fire safety tips by visiting www.clarington.net/FireSafety.

– 30 –

Media inquiries:
Municipality of Clarington
Melissa Westover
Communications Officer
905-623-3379 ext. 2019 or mwestover@clarington.net