Campaign launched to stop instant barbecues starting fires
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The Co-op is launching a campaign aimed at promoting safer use of instant barbecues in a bid to prevent fires.
Special messages will be printed reminding customers of the need to extinguish and dispose of the devices properly, with instructions showing that water should be used to safely put them out.
The move follows concerns shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council over the number of instant barbecue-related fires, both in outdoor spaces and in the home when used on balconies or too close to garden fences and trees.
The alert has been issued by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS). It has been issued because should a wildfire start it could spread quickly and easily due to dry and windy conditions. Last year s huge Wareham Forest fire was caused by a disposable barbecue or campfire. DWFRS group manager Jason Moncrieff said: “In light of the amber wildfire alert, we are asking for the public’s help by not having campfires or using disposable barbecues in our forests and heathlands. Whilst we understand that the lifting of some lockdown restrictions, combined with the dry weather, will mean people will want to go out and about, we cannot stress enough the importance of being fire aware.
The Co-op is launching a campaign aimed at promoting safer use of instant barbecues in a bid to prevent fires. Special messages will be printed reminding customers of the need to extinguish and dispose of the devices properly, with instructions showing that water should be used to safely put them out. The move follows concerns shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council over the number of instant barbecue-related fires, both in outdoor spaces and in the home when used on balconies or too close to garden fences and trees. The Co-op said recent examples included fires at Froward Point in Devon, Wareham Forest in Dorset and Darwen Moor in Lancashire, which were all caused by instant barbecues.
Waste found left at Upton Heath. Picture: Martin Adams “Last year we had the massive heath fire at Wareham Forest,” he said. “With the weather at the moment, the heath is bone dry. Just one barbecue left there could set the heath on fire and do incredible damage to an important habitat used by nesting birds, like Dartford warbler, stonechat, linnet and nightjar.” He added that lowland heaths, like Upton Heath, are also the one habitat where the six native species of British reptile can be found. Upton Heath is managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust, which said it was “extremely upset” to see the litter and furniture discarded.