A major blaze at a Brisbane apartment building last night is a timely reminder for far north Queenslanders to put safety first, as winter is traditionally the busiest time of the year for house fires and one in three start in the kitchen. 

More than 300 Brisbane residents were left temporarily homeless after the fire gutted their Fortitude Valley apartment complex. 50 firefighters were still at the scene at around 7:20pm, dampening hot spots and finalising searches of the units. According to reports, three women were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

Police and Community Safety Minister Jack Dempsey said there was typically a spike in residential structure fires throughout the winter months and urged everyone to take preventative safety measures.

“During winter 2012, there were 31 residential structural fires in the Far Northern Region, five less than the year prior,” Mr Dempsey said. “Although firefighters are well prepared for the season, any residential structure fire is one too many and it’s essential residents take responsibility for their family’s safety. We’re asking residents to learn about fire safety though education and not by accident.”

Last month, a 4 year-old boy and his mother suffered serious burns in a house fire in Tully, 140km south of Cairns.

Mr Dempsey said there were two steps that would increase the chance of survival during a house fire:

• STEP ONE: Have a working smoke alarm, to wake you up; and 
• STEP TWO: Have a fire escape plan, to get you out. 

"A house can become well involved with smoke and fire within a few minutes and every second counts when exiting your home," Mr Dempsey said. 

Though far north Queensland experiences a dry, warm winter, compared to the rest of the nation, Mr Depsey urged all Queenslanders to make sure appliances used frequently during winter, like heaters and electric blankets, are in good working order and checked by a qualified electrician.

QFRS Commissioner Lee Johnson said cooking equipment remained the single biggest cause of domestic house fires throughout the year, but more so during the winter months.

“Last year 33-percent of all structural fires that occurred during winter in Queensland were caused by cooking equipment, which is almost two fires every day,” Mr Johnson said. “Kitchen fires are especially dangerous because they start very quickly and can spread to the rest of the house in just minutes.”

Mr Johnson reminded people never to leave cooking unattended and to keep a close eye on children in the kitchen. “Never use water to extinguish fat or oil fires. Always clear away food crumbs and scraps from cooking appliances after use and keep electrical appliances away from water and open flames,” Mr Johnson said.

“All residents should have a fire extinguisher and fire blanket accessible in the kitchen and know how to use them.”

For more information on fire escape plans or to book a Safehome visit log on to www.fire.qld.gov.au or call 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

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