These Three Neighbourhoods Have the Most Fires in Brampton

Brampton | Ontario | Latest News |

Published March 30, 2018 at 4:13 am

Fires are dangerous under any circumstances, but residential fires are especially concerning.

Fires are dangerous under any circumstances, but residential fires are especially concerning. Recently released data has revealed that some Brampton neighbourhoods are more likely to experience fires than others. 

It’s true – three Brampton neighbourhoods in particular have more fires than any others. 

Using in-house records, Environics data, and other technologies, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services (BFES) has identified where there are the highest occurrences of fires in Brampton. 

From 2012 to 2017, Armbro Heights in the southern end of Brampton, Ridgehill in central-west Brampton, and City Centre near Bramalea City Centre aw almosst 250 fires. That’s 32 per cent of all Brampton residential fires, according to the city. 

Here’s a breakdown of fires in those areas, courtesy of BFES:

Armbro Heights

  • Has seen 77 fires since 2012
  • Forty per cent of these fires were started by unattended cooking
  • Another 10 per cent started in the garage

Ridgehill

  • Has seen 75 fires since 2012
  • Thirty per cent of fires started in the kitchen
  • Another major cause of fires in Ridgehill was improperly discarded smoking material

City Centre

  • Has experienced 95 fires since 2012
  • Thirty-five per cent of the fires started in the kitchen
  • Ten per cent started in the garage

“One thing in common for all three zones – and also the single biggest cause of all residential fires – was unattended cooking,” says BFES.

According to the city, between 30 and 40 per cent of all of these fires start in the kitchen. Barbecuing or cooking in the garage and improperly discarded smoking materials were also causes.

High rise buildings are also high at risk for fires, according to the city. 

“There are only 88 high rise apartment buildings in Brampton, but fires at these locations account for 16 per cent of all residential fires,” said the city.

What has BFES done in response to this information?

In the past six months, BFES says they have promoted fire safety through social media advertising to these specifical areas, increased advertising in local community spots, incorporated fire truck messaging, put messaging on TV screens in high rises, visited homes, apartments, schools, and community gathering areas, and participated in community events?

What tips can you follow to stay safe from fires?

  • Always stay in the kitchen while cooking, and don’t cook when you’re sleepy.
  • Never use barbecues or other cookers in your garage.
  • Install smoke alarms on every storey and outside all sleeping areas of your home. 
  • For added protection, install a smoke alarm in every bedroom according to manufacturer’s recommendations. 
  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly by pressing the test button. Change the batteries every year. 
  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms wear out over time. Replace alarms according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
  • If you smoke, stay alert, and use deep ashtrays

All of the data on this is completely open to the public, and you can check it out on Brampton’s GeoHub here.

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