Introduction to Fire Safety Management

8.1.2 Cookers, associated cooking equipment 
and installations
Cookers, cooking equipment or other equipment or 
installations used for the heating of food provide a range 
of sources of ignition and fuel have the potential to initi-
ate and exacerbate a fi re.
Electrical fi res associated with cooking fall under the 
category already covered in the previous paragraph and 
Figure 8.1
Causes of accidental fi res in industry 2004/2005
Figure 8.2
Electrical equipment involved in a school fi re
0
5
10
15
20
25
Number
Electrical
Cooking
Spread from 
outside
Supposed cause of fire
Electrical 
Smoking materials
Friction, sparks
Naked light 
Cooking
Spontaneous ignition
Heating
LPG cutting
Spread from outside
The Causes of Accidental Fires May 2004–April 2005
(that resulted in loss of over £250 000)

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Introduction to Fire Safety Management
138
it is not intended to recover the aspects here; however, 
failing thermocouples and other heat controlling devices 
can also cause fi res. These generally occur due to a 
fault and a lack of preventive maintenance and testing, 
for example using portable electrical appliance testing 
known as PAT testing. This PAT testing only checks the 
safety from ‘electrocution risk’ and it is possible that a 
damaged heat controlling device will not be identifi ed by 
such testing.
The failure of the heat controlling device is then 
likely to allow the overheating of the food or substance 
being cooked which may combust and catch fi re. In 
instances where oil is being used to cook food, chips, 
for example, this raising of the oil’s temperature releases 
suffi cient vapours to cause the oil to reach its fl ash and 
then fi re point.
Gas cooking systems incorporate both an ignition 
source, by way of a pilot light, and a substantial fuel 
source, by way of the gas supply used in the cooking 
process. A number of fi res are caused each year from 
faulty systems where the pilot light fails and gas is released 
to mix with the air until an explosive concentration is 
reached and any alternative ignition sources such as a light 
switch are capable of causing an explosion or fi re.
Regardless of the type of cooking device used, if 
left unattended an overheated cooking receptacle and/
or food that is allowed to burn dry will produce suffi cient 
heat for a fi re to start.