Southampton residents have been warned about cooking fires.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has launched the Recipe for Success COOK campaign, telling residents "keep looking when cooking" and "turn off the heat before they eat."

This new campaign comes after it was revealed that 50 percent of accidental home fires in Hampshire and Isle of Wight start in the kitchen.

More than a third of these involve lone pensioners.

Fire service launches COOK campaign to cut kitchen fires across HampshireFire service launches COOK campaign to cut kitchen fires across Hampshire (Image: HIWFRS) The fire service's new campaign is therefore aimed at raising awareness to prevent kitchen fires and near-misses, particularly focusing on those over 65.

The campaign guidelines encourage a set of straightforward precautions with the acronym COOK.

Residents should "keep tea towels, cloths, and electrical leads away from the oven and hob," switch off the oven and hob and remove pans from the heat when finished, clean cooking oil and grease regularly, and finally "keep looking when cooking."



Karen Farr, HIWFRS head of prevention, said: "As a service, we look carefully at the different risks our communities face across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to ensure we play our role in raising awareness of these dangers.

"Nationally each year, we know that cooking causes more accidental fires in the home than anything else, and sadly, our local incident rates mirror the national statistics.

"Through the Recipe for Success COOK campaign we hope to highlight the dangers of unsafe cooking habits to hopefully help prevent unnecessary incidents and fires in the home."

Over the coming months, HIWFRS firefighters and community safety team members will visit supported living facilities and community groups for older people, including Age UK in Southampton.

They'll offer kitchen fire safety talks and distribute Recipe for Success campaign booklets, which include free recipe cards, fridge magnets, and top tips.

These will also be provided to local food banks.

The campaign is sponsored by Community Interest Company 3SFire, which delivers training to businesses and supports various fire risk, prevention, and safety awareness initiatives.

HIWFRS will promote the campaign at various supermarkets and events throughout the summer.