TWENTY-ONE percent of Maribyrnong homes affected by fire last year did not have a working smoke alarm, according to statistics.
Fire crews attended 61 residential blazes across the municipality last year.
This included 17 at Footscray, 11 at Braybrook and five each at Kingsville and Maidstone. Of these properties, 13 were without alarms.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade has urged residents to ensure they have a working smoke alarm in the lead-up to winter, one of the most high-risk periods for home fires, as it warned it took just three minutes to spark a life-threatening inferno.
As part of its “change your clock, change your smoke alarm battery” campaign, to coincide with the end of daylight saving on Sunday, Commander John Rampling said it was also important for people to revisit their fire safety plans.
Research has shown residents of homes without a working smoke alarm are four times more likely to die as a result of a fire than those in homes with a working alarm.
“We see a devastating number of house fires every year and, unfortunately, not everyone gets out alive,” Mr Rampling said.
“Ensuring you have working smoke alarms and practising your home escape plan are important ways to protect your family from the dangers of fire.”