CHRISTMAS is a time of year when the risk of fires in the home – in particular kitchen fires - can increase.

Kitchen fires can occur at any time of year and account for over 50 per cent of all accidental fires in the home. However, at Christmas the potential for getting distracted while cooking can increase massively, due to the number of family and friends in your home and the sheer volume of dishes that need to be prepared.

A house fire can be devastating at any time of the year, but particularly so at Christmas, so we are urging people to remember basic fire prevention advice as they enjoy themselves.

Just spending a couple of seconds to think about fire safety in the home can make all the difference. Make sure you’re got a working smoke alarm, be careful with candles and Christmas decorations and remember to turn the oven off when you’ve finished cooking.

And, if you know of family members that do not have smoke alarms, consider buying them one as a Christmas present. This is a gift that could save their life if they were to have a fire in their home.

To find out more Christmas safety advice, log onto www.cambsfire.gov.uk and look at our seasonal safety section.

On behalf of everyone at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, I would like to wish you a very happy, and most importantly safe, Christmas and New Year.