Staffordshire Fire Service warns over barbecue safety
Residents are being urged to take extra care when using barbecues over the summer months after several significant incidents in Staffordshire last year.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched its I Know What You Did Last Summer campaign in the hope of preventing serious blazes that happened throughout the county last year.
During last summer, crews attend 1,115 fires outdoors – and some of the largest incidents were caused by barbecues. A field in Highgate Common, off Whitehouse Lane, in Enville, was set alight on August 5, when a disposable barbecue was not extinguished correctly. It took six crews to put out the fire and added to the high demand already felt by firefighters across the county.
Fortunately, it was brought under control within 24 hours whereas many other grass fires took several days, and in some cases weeks, to extinguish.
Glynn Luznyj, director of prevent and protect at the service, said: "Even though it may not seem like barbecue weather at the moment, we are set to see some hot and dry weeks towards the second half of the school holidays. Please avoid using barbecues in dry grassy areas and always put them out properly by submerging the coals in cold water.
“It seems like a fun idea to have a barbecue out in the open in some of the beauty spots throughout the county, but it can endanger wildlife and the environment if they are left to burn. Many areas were significantly damaged by the blazes we saw last year and are only just starting to recover and regrow. Please don’t let this year be a repeat of last summer.”
