STORY: Dirty ovens cause one in five fires

We would hazard a guess that at one time or other you’ve known someone who’s been guilty of failing to give the interior of their oven a good enough once over. But while a bit of grease and grime accumulating on oven shelves can seem harmless, new analysis has revealed that dirt can lead to danger.

Oven cleaning specialists Ovenu looked at the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics and found that cooking appliances were responsible for one in five blazes last year. Further figures showed that food materials are also responsible for igniting nearly one third of all fires.

Rik Hellewell, managing director of Ovenu says: “Over time food and grease stick to the hot plating, grills and metal trays inside of the oven and if left this will burn whenever its used. Continuous cooking with a dirty oven can create carbon-based fumes and excess smoke during cooking is often an indicator of a potential fire hazard.

Continuing, he added: “Bakers should really be cleaning their oven on a very regular basis.”