Households warned of risk from fire pits, BBQs and FLAMETHROWERS after rising fire claims
Households warned about risk of barbecues, patio fires and weed-burning FLAME WEDDINGS as insurers reveal huge surge in yard fire claims
- More Brits are enjoying open fires after becoming addicted to lockdown
- Insurance companies say this has led to a spate of accidental fire claims
- There are even a growing number of claims for fires caused by weed burners
Households are being urged to take extra care with barbecues, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits as insurers reveal a huge increase in fire claims – many caused by garden accessories purchased during the pandemic.
They’ve also pointed to a worrying new trend for portable weed burners — basically miniature flamethrowers that can be easily purchased online — which are also driving a small but rising number of insurance claims.
Major insurers Admiral and Aviva both warn people who use items such as barbecues, fire pits and pizza ovens to make sure they follow safety advice and never leave fires unattended.
Admiral data shows that last year’s heat wave has boosted yard fire claims by 178 percent – more than in 2020 and 2021 combined. May, June and July were the worst months for these fires.
If you’re playing with fire: garden accessories such as outdoor fireplaces, many of which were purchased during the pandemic, may be responsible for causing uncontrollable fires
Noel Summerfield, head of household at Admiral, said: ‘Over the past four years we have seen claims for damage caused by garden fires rise as items such as barbecues, fire pits and bonfires have become increasingly popular during pandemic lockdowns.
“We thought the numbers would drop in 2022 because people spent less time at home, but the opposite happened.”
Aviva said yard fire claims were up 38 percent from May to September last year, compared to usual levels.
An Aviva spokesperson said the same trend had also been seen in previous years, with some stemming from increased socializing in the garden during lockdowns.
About half of the claims involved barns catching fire, while fences caught fire in a third of cases.
In one in 10 garden fire claims, the inferno was caused by placing ashes or disposable barbecues in a container while they were still hot, which ignited the rest of the contents.
Other common causes of summer yard fires include bonfires, but claims of cigarettes—and in one case, a mirror that reflects light off wood, trapping the light—were also reported.
Meanwhile, insurer LV said it saw a 43 percent increase in fires caused by barbecues, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces in 2022, compared to 2021.
Many insurance policies have rules about how close a grill or outdoor fireplace can be to a fence or anything flammable, so check the fine print.
Flaming madness: A trend for weed burners is also fueling a rise in garden fire claims
Flamethrower warning
Admiral also warns people to be careful when using weed burners after seeing a number of claims in recent years.
These include an incident where someone accidentally set fire to their shed and fence and damaged a neighbour’s car.
In another case, an oil tank exploded after a weed burner fire spread and caused damage to a neighboring property.
The devices are growing in popularity and can be bought online for less than £20.
Summerfield added: ‘We have also seen an increasing number of claims related to the use of bio-ethanol weed burners, with some fires getting out of control and causing a significant amount of damage, so novice gardeners should also be particularly careful.’