South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) has launched a new public safety campaign aimed at reducing the number of house fires caused by unattended cooking.
The campaign, titled “Don’t Feed the Fire”, highlights the dangers of becoming distracted while preparing food and comes as new figures reveal cooking remains one of the leading causes of accidental fires in homes across South Wales.
In 2025 alone, firefighters attended 174 cooking-related fires, with 96 of those incidents caused by people becoming distracted or falling asleep while cooking.
The problem remains widespread across the region. Since 2021, almost a third (32%) of all accidental dwelling fires attended by SWFRS have been caused by cooking.
While the overall number of incidents has gradually declined in recent years, fire officials say unattended cooking continues to pose a significant risk to lives, property and communities.
Marc Davies, Home Safety Manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We attend far too many fires that start in the kitchen because someone became distracted or fell asleep. These are incidents that devastate families but are completely preventable.
“Through this campaign, we want to draw attention to the frequency of cooking-related fires, and encourage people to make safer choices, protect their homes, and reduce the number of fires we see each year.”
The campaign focuses on common situations where people may become distracted while cooking, including parents balancing family responsibilities, individuals living with memory loss, those multitasking around the home and people preparing food after consuming alcohol.
SWFRS is encouraging residents to adopt a simple but effective safety habit by staying with their cooking at all times. If they need to leave the room, they are advised to switch off the heat first.
Firefighters are also warning that people who are tired or under the influence of alcohol are more likely to forget about food left cooking, increasing the risk of a fire starting.
The campaign will run throughout the year, with additional activity planned during key periods when cooking-related incidents tend to increase. These include Student Fire Safety Week, Gas Safety Week, the summer barbecue season and the Christmas period.
At the centre of the campaign is a straightforward message designed to encourage safer behaviour in the kitchen: “If you’re not watching your cooking, you’re feeding the fire.”
SWFRS hopes the campaign will help reduce the number of avoidable kitchen fires and prevent families from experiencing the devastating consequences that can result from a momentary distraction.
