This week is Fire Prevention Week across the country, and the theme is Cooking Safety Begins With You – Pay Attention to Fire Prevention.  

“This year we’re really concentrating on cooking fires and kitchen fires as that’s been on the rise lately,” explained Trent Lee, Fire Chief in the City of Weyburn. “We really need to educate people to try to prevent kitchen fires.” 

Lee said grease fires are one of the most common causes of fires in a kitchen, but they aren’t the only causes of fires in a kitchen.  

“One of the other things is fires caused by leaving items on or near the stove that are combustible,” Lee continued. “We run into that quite frequently. Also, fires within the oven itself.” 

Cords can also be a cause of fires, not only in the kitchen but in the home in general. Small, coded appliances can get moved frequently, and Lee pointed out that over time, this can damage the cord, and as a result, an electrical fire can ignite.  

Extension cords are another common cause of fires in the home. Lee stated far too often in North America extension cords are left plugged in and are responsible for a number of fires.  

“Extension cords are to be used for temporary purposes only, and a lot of people tend to use the wrong type of extension cord for the reason they’re using it,” Lee said. He noted often people will use an indoor-rated cord outside, and vice versa. Also, too often extension cords are used that have a smaller gauge wire than the appliance or item they are being used with, which can cause the wire to overheat, starting a fire.  

In the kitchen, inattentiveness is another key concern cited by Lee when it comes to fires. He said those who are cooking need to be alert. 

“If we’re on any medication, or we’ve consumed anything that can make us drowsy or tired, or lacking attention, we shouldn’t be cooking,” Lee noted. “We should probably order pizza or something like that.” 

When it comes to dealing with a fire in the event one does happen in the kitchen, having a fire extinguisher handy is a good thing, but not all fire extinguishers are rated the same.  

“If we do have a grease fire, the Class K extinguisher is the only one that is listed for battling that type of fire. It is recommended to just cover the grease fire with a cookie sheet or the lid from the pot.” 

In case of a fire, he stressed the most important thing is to get outside and call 911 immediately.  

This year, to help with education surrounding Fire Prevention Week, the Weyburn Fire Department will be having classes from the schools in the community coming out to the Fire Department for tours, as well as educational discussions.  

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, we encourage you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverWeyburn app.