NSW residents receive fire safety warning

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) announced on Tuesday (August 6) that a number of house fires have recently taken place in the state.

NSW's firefighters are urging people to make fire safety a priority after 21 people were injured in house fires during a 24-hour period earlier this week.

A total of 12 residential fires were reported, which caused thousands of dollars' worth of damage. The fires took place in Tweeds Head, Liverpool, Bexley, Lake Macquarie and central Sydney.

"Winter is the worst time of year for house fires," said FRNSW Commissioner Greg Mullins.

He said that over 60 per cent of the residential fires he and his team is called out to occur during May and September.

In a media release, the FRNSW offered some advice on how best to manage the risk of fires in your home or place of business.

It suggests turning off heaters and electric blankets before you go to sleep, keeping flammable items away from heaters and fireplaces, and never leaving things such as stoves, ovens and candles unattended.

In the workplace, it's a good idea to make sure your power points and power boards aren't overloaded.

Mr Mullins said it's important that the people of New South Wales don't leave fire safety "to chance". No matter how careful you are, there is always the potential for a fire to break out.

That is why having fire cover as part of your business insurance policy is so important. The experience of seeing your property damaged is hard enough without having to worry about how you're going to pay to replace it all.

At Elders Insurance, our business property insurance can cover you in case of a fire. As part of this cover, we can help you pay for the removal of debris and fire extinguishment costs.