Residential House Fire Rates Heating Up In Ontario Amidst COVID-19

COVID-19 has undeniably impacted areas in our lives such as work and our social schedule. In Ontario, the pandemic has had many other less obvious ramifications to our quarantine such as; increased speeding and careless driving, rising pool sales, and now officials are reporting on a spike in the severity and frequency of residential fires.

Provincially, fatal house fires are up 65% from last year. Unfortunately, similar increases have been seen across the country amongst all housing types (condominiums, detached, multi-tenant homes). According to the National Fire Protection Association, “cooking is the leading cause of home fires and is responsible for nearly half (49 percent) of all reported home fires involving cooking equipment. Moreover, unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires, meaning that home cooking fires occur most often when people aren’t keeping a close eye on what they’re cooking”. This statistic coupled with the surge of people staying home during the pandemic has led to an increase in home cooking fires.

Statistics Canada reported that during the month of March, 4.7 million Canadians who would typically work in an office setting were now working from home. And with restaurant chains closed and take out options reduced, many Canadians opted for home-cooked meals. During the quarantine, many people still worked full time, parents were home with their children, and some needed to participate and facilitate in online learning, all while maintaining regular household duties. As a result, not only has the frequency in-home cooking increased, but distracted or unattended cooking is an increasing issue while people try to juggle all their responsibilities from home.

Beyond risks associated with fires while cooking, fire marshals are also warning people not to sterilize their face masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) in the microwave or oven. The mask may contain certain metal or other flammable materials, and microwaves are not designed to heat fabric cloth which may all result in a fire.

Canadian Underwriter’s recent blog post quotes Michele Farley, president of FCS Fire Consulting Services Ltd, “at a time like this, it is critical for brokers to share fire safety reminders.” To reduce to possibility of a fire in your home, here are a few tips:

• Test your smoke alarms regularly
  This is one of the easiest ways to avoid a fire in your home. Make sure to test the alarm frequently and change the batteries if needed.
• Have an escape plan and communicate it with your family members
  It is important to have a plan set in place prior to an emergency. Specifically, it is crucial to discuss with your children the importance of following the rules and safety guidelines put forth by the parents.
• Don’t leave the kitchen unattended
  As previously mentioned, most kitchen fires are a result of distraction or leaving the oven/unattended. If you need to leave the room, ask your spouse or roommate to keep an eye on the food.
• Keep stove and oven clean
  Keeping your appliances such as your stove clean reduces the risk of a grease fire. Residents should either manually clean their appliances once it is at room temperature, or opt for the oven self-cleaning setting every few months,
• Smoking outdoors & using an ashtray
  If you smoke, be sure to do it outside and extinguish the cigarette in an ashtray.
• Have a fire extinguisher easily accessible
  The best place to keep a fire extinguisher is in your kitchen and within reach.
  A fire in your home can be devastating both physically with damage to your belongings, but also emotionally. Although damage and destruction caused by fire are often covered by homeowners’ insurance, it is critical that you discuss your policy with your broker. At Merit Insurance, we take the time to learn your story and make sure you have the right coverage.