Make sure on Valentines Day that the only fires burning will be of the heart, and not in your home.



50 per cent of fires start in the kitchen and it’s all too easy to get distracted while love is in the air.

So to make sure your Valentine’s night is one you’ll want to remember for the right reasons, MFRS is asking you to remember these safety tips:

Cooking
-Make sure you don’t get distracted when cooking. Even if you are called away for a short period of time, always turn off the cooker.
-Turn saucepans so the handles don’t stick out over the edge of the hob or over another ring. Make sure tea-towels aren’t hanging over the cooker and don’t put oven gloves on top of a hot cooker.
-Keep anything that can catch fire such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains away from your cooker top.
- Most importantly, double check that the cooker is off when you have finished cooking.

Candle safety

Candles are best placed:
- On a heat-resistant surface; be especially careful with night lights and tea lights, which get hot enough to melt plastic.
- In a proper candle holder, so as they don’t fall over.
- Out of draughts and away from curtains, other fabrics or furniture, which could all catch fire.
- Away from clothes and hair – if there’s any chance you could forget a candle is there and lean across it, put it somewhere else.

Also don’t forget to love your smoke alarm! A working smoke alarm will greatly increase your chances of escaping unharmed.