Clr Khal Asfour Message

Dear resident,

We’re more than halfway through winter and I’m alarmed at the number of house fires occurring not only in our City, but across the wider metropolitan area.

With this colder, miserable weather, many of us are choosing to stay indoors and look for any means possible to stay warm.

But an important warning comes from Fire and Rescue NSW, that portable heaters and leaving cooking unattended on a stove, are the leading causes of house fires. A timely reminder to be careful and be wary in our homes.

Over the past few weeks, there have been more than 400 residential fires across the state. And in our City alone, we’ve seen blazes in Punchbowl, Lakemba, Bankstown and Chester Hill.

And, the heartbreaking  images of residents who have lost everything are a telling reminder to be vigilant.

There are many cases of people trying to stay warm by using charcoal and wood fires, simply because they cannot afford to pay the exorbitant electricity prices. Only days ago, we saw a family narrowly escape with their lives, after suffering monoxide poisoning from a home-made fire.

Most of these devastating tragedies are preventable. Of the houses Fire and Rescue NSW attended, nearly half did not have working smoke alarms. We are seeing cases of people not replacing batteries in their smoke alarms, or simply not having one at all.

I urge everyone to test that your smoke alarms are working, and if needed, change the batteries or replace the alarm. And if you’re not sure, you can book a free fire safety visit by calling your local fire station.

A fire can take hold in minutes, yet it only takes seconds to prevent one; moving combustible items away from the heater, cleaning your lint filter, or checking your electric blankets for signs of wear and tear. To ensure your home is fire safe, you can download the Get Ready for Winter checklist at fire.nsw.gov.au/winter

It’s time to heed the warnings and be safe, not sorry.

Yours sincerely,

Clr Khal Asfour

MAYOR