Home fire fear- Berwick Fire Brigade First Lieutenant Peter Obeth and captain Alan Boyd are co

By Kelly Yates
FIREFIGHTERS say they are alarmed at the increasing trend of house fires in Berwick.
Berwick Fire Brigade captain Alan Boyd said firefighters had seen more damaging blazes in the past few months than they had in the last five years.
Captain Boyd says it was accepted that the rapid growth in Berwick meant more houses which could lead to more fires, but the recent trend has firefighters concerned.
There have been five major blazes over the past four months.
Captain Boyd said the “disastrous” run started in late October when a fire ripped through several rooms of a house in McNabb Street, Berwick.
An elderly man perished in a blaze at a Spencer Court home in November, making it Berwick’s first fatal house fire for many decades.
A Narre Warren South house on Farnborough Way was destroyed after a fire in December and another house along Merriwee Grove was also damaged in a blaze in January.
The latest major fire was last week when a two-storey Berwick house was gutted.
Firefighters kept the fire contained to several rooms upstairs at the Bournevale Drive home and prevented it from spreading to other areas on Tuesday 16 February.
The occupants of the house were not home at the time of the fire and were in the process of renovating the house.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Captain Boyd said there was no common link between the causes of the recent house fires, however most occurred when the occupants were not at home.
He said home insulation wasn’t a factor in the fires.
“The buildings were well alight by the time neighbours or passersby had noticed them,” he said.
“Once a fire has taken hold of a building it spreads quickly and fire crews are challenged in stopping the spread and limiting the damage.”
Captain Boyd said there had also been a number of minor house fires.
“In most of these, the fire has started in the kitchen area, usually involving either the stove or oven,” he said.
“We find that a lot of fires are caused by cooking.
“Hot oil igniting, cooking left unattended or faulty wiring and appliances is a major contributor to household fires.”
Captain Boyd said residents needed to understand the consequences could be disastrous.
“We encourage people to turn off any stove or oven cooking whenever a house is unattended. It is also good practice to turn off electrical appliances and not leave washing machines, dryers, electric irons and dishwashers running when not attended.”