MARK Bolt and Mark Quick, both officers of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, attended the April meeting of Shobrooke Friendly Club.

Mark Quick gave the presentation and members were surprised to learn that the most common cause of fires in the home was candles. In some cases these had been placed on a window sill, where a curtain had been caught by a draught against the flame.

Other fires had been caused by candles being placed on unsuitable surfaces. Mark gave an instance where a candle in a small metal holder had been placed on top of a television set, the heat generated had melted a hole on the TV set case and set fire to the plastic.

He reminded members who had open fires how important it was to have the chimney swept regularly, at least once a year, and in some instances depending on the type of fuel burnt, twice a year.

A large number of fires had been started by leaving cooking unattended on the hob. Mark explained that where cooking oil had ignited the best way of dealing with that situation was to cover the pan with a wet towel, and of course turn off the heat.

On no account should water be thrown onto it as this causes an explosion of flaming oil.

We were reminded not to overload electric sockets as this could cause them to overheat, and cause a fire.

Mark was sceptical about the use of replacement chargers for mobile telephones, tablet computers etc and would not recommend cheap compatible chargers, but to purchase those specifically recommended by the manufacturer.

There were many other instances of the causes of fires explained to us, and safety precautions to take, such as fitting, siting and making sure smoke alarms were working.

As home safety in this respect is of such importance, I think that it is fair to give the Devon and Somerset Fire Services website address in this instance: www.dsfire.gov.uk/YourSafety/SafetyInTheHome .

From this site a home visit can be arranged to check out safety matters, and hopefully keep everyone safe.

Chairman Jack Fey thanked Mark for a very useful talk. The secretary, Eileen James, thanked Margaret Gale for supplying the club with home-made Easter biscuits.

Members were saddened to learn of the death of Jean Waring, who had been a member of the Club since 2012.

The next outing is on Wednesday, May 15 to Buckfast Abbey and Paignton. For anyone interested, details can be obtained from Margaret Gale on 01363 773282.

Norman Gale