WYNDHAM firefighters are urging all residents to prepare a home fire plan, after new figures revealed the CFA was called to 77 house fires last year.
Werribee recorded the highest number of house fires in the municipality, with 29 blazes. One of the fires broke out in a Wattle Avenue house last October after three children were playing with a cigarette lighter in a bedroom.
The children were rescued by their father, who smashed a window to get to them.
There were 16 fires in Hoppers Crossing, 10 in Point Cook and nine in Wyndham Vale.
Tarneit and Truganina each had four fires. There were two house fires in Seabrook and one each recorded for Laverton, Werribee South and Altona Meadows.
In December, a mother and son made a lucky escape from their Seabrook house after a bedroom caught fire.
The fire was sparked by an electrical fault in a fan controller and burnt out a bedroom and destroyed a section of the roof. The rest of the house was damaged by heat and smoke. Werribee CFA captain Michael Wells said while the municipality’s brigades had been called to fewer fires than in 2011, the high number of callouts showed that people could not afford to be complacent when it came to fire risks in the home.
He urged people to ensure they had a fire escape plan, and that electrical appliances were checked and smoke alarms were in working order.
“House fires can occur all year round so people need to have an escape plan. They need to be proactive and rehearse their plan. This is something you don’t want to be rehearsing for the first time during a fire.
“In a lot of fires, when we get to the house [the residents] don’t know where everyone is and then we have to put our lives at risk looking for people who may not be in the house.”
Mr Wells said residents should also be wary of grass fires.
“We are asking people to be careful. Prevention is the key. We are the busiest volunteer fire brigade in the state and one of the biggest.”
For information about home fire plans, phone Werribee CFA on 9742 7009.
