Since the start of the year 53 people have been injured in kitchen fires and in 2016 accounted for 45 per cent of all residential fires and 34 per cent of injuries in NSW.

FRNSW Community Safety and Research Chief Superintendent, Jeremy Fewtrell said flames or heat sources being left unattended were the most common causes of kitchen fires.

“It can take just three minutes for a fire to take hold, but only seconds to prevent one,” he said.

“To avoid kitchen fire catastrophes, we urge people to ‘keep looking when cooking’. It’s a simple way to avoid losing your home or even worse, your loved ones or your own life.”