Taipei City Government

Recently, a fire alarm was triggered in a residential unit in a Taipei neighborhood, prompting nearby residents to call 119. Thanks to their vigilance, a major disaster was averted. According to firefighters on the scene, the incident originated from a pot of chicken soup left simmering unattended. The resident had left the stove on and went out shopping, forgetting to turn off the burner. As the soup boiled dry, the pot overheated and began to produce heavy white smoke due to dry-burning. Fortunately, a home smoke alarm installed in the apartment was activated in time, alerting neighbors and preventing the situation from escalating into a full-blown fire.

The Fire Department pointed out that kitchen fires have become one of the main threats to home safety. According to statistics, of the 53 cases in which residential fire alarms were successfully activated in 113 years, 35 were caused by inadvertent cooking, accounting for more than 65% of the total. Further data show that most kitchen fires are caused by negligence, such as forgetting to turn off the stove or leaving it unattended for a long period of time.

The Fire Department appeals to the public to observe the basic principle of “keep away from the fire”, and always keep watch when cooking soups, fries or stews, etc., which take a long time to cook. If you need to leave for a short period of time, you should turn off the stove immediately. It is also recommended to choose a stove with flame failure safety device and temperature sensing function to minimize the risk. At the same time, avoid overfilling the pots with food and soup to prevent overflowing which may cause excessive smoke or flame extinguishing. The Fire Department further recommends installing fire service equipment such as smoke detectors or temperature sensors in residential premises and checking their functioning regularly. For the use of gas, it is important to ensure that the hoses comply with national standards and are replaced regularly to prevent deterioration or damage. Through the establishment of good cooking habits and the proper use of kitchen equipment, the chance of kitchen fires can be effectively reduced, and home safety can be maintained together.

Taipei City is the fourth time to be crowned the overall champion in Vision Magazine's “2024 County and City Aggregate and Sustainability Competitiveness Survey”, and also the first in the six cities in terms of “public safety and fire prevention”. Therefore, the Fire Department calls on the public to learn the correct concepts of disaster prevention, which will significantly reduce the risk of disasters and maintain a safe living environment! For more information on disaster prevention, please refer to “Taipei Disaster Prevention_Go Now” at  https://www.eoc.gov.taipei/En_DisasterManual/mobile/.