Diwali

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service acknowledge that Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists.

During this important time, our service would like to offer fire safety advice to people celebrating Diwali.

Diwali is known as 'Festival of the Lights' and sees an increase in the use of candles (aka divas), lanterns and oil lamps. It is believed that light signifies goodness, enlightenment, knowledge and wisdom, therefore candles and lamps are used throughout the day and into the night to ward off darkness and evil.

Statistics show that there is an increased fire risk at Diwali time, because of candles, lanterns and some people use fireworks to celebrate - but by taking just a few simple precautions you can reduce the risks for yourself and your family.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms save lives - so please make sure you have a working smoke alarm installed on every floor of your home. If there is a fire, a smoke alarm will immediately warn you, giving you and everyone in your home time to escape to safety.

Candles

• Always place candles firmly in a proper holder so they don't fall over and on a heat resistant surface

• Put out candles before you leave a room and before you go to bed

• Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets

• Keep candles away from ribbons, greetings cards and other decorations - these could easily catch fire

• Keep candles out of draughts and away from curtains, other fabrics or furniture, which could catch fire

• Keep candles away from clothes and hair - if there's any chance you could forget a candle is there and lean across it, put it somewhere else.

Cooking

• Don't get distracted when you are cooking - turn off or turn down the heat if you have to leave the cooking unattended

• Keep tea towels, clothes and electrical leads away from the cooker and hob

• Make sure saucepan handles are not sticking out from the hob or over a naked flame

• Remember to check that the oven or hob are switched off after you have finished cooking

• Take extra care when deep-fat frying or cooking with oil - hot oil can catch fire easily - use a thermostat controlled deep-fat fryer which will make sure the fat doesn't get too hot

Fireworks

IF you plan on using fireworks then always buy them from a reputable retailer to make sure that they conform to British standards. You can check this by making sure the fireworks have BS 7114 written on the box.

Make sure you follow the below safety advice to make sure you keep yourself and your family and friends safe.

• Stand well back

• Keep pets indoors

• Keep fireworks in a closed box

• Only buy fireworks that are CE marked

• Light at arm's length, using a taper

• Follow the instructions on each firework

• Never give sparklers to a child under five

• Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks 

• Always supervise children around fireworks

• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves

• Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them

• Never go near a firework that has been lit - even if it hasn't gone off it could still explode. Pour water on the embers before leaving