House fires linked to air fryers rocket to record high in England, figures reveal

Getty

HOUSE fires linked to air fryers have rocketed to a record high in England, ­figures show.

Firefighters named the appliance in reports on 146 incidents in the 12 months to March — 57 per cent up on the ­previous year.

But the real number could be even higher — because the kitchen gizmo is not listed as an option on outdated forms that record the cause of domestic blazes.

Pensioner James Cooper, 76, had a “lucky escape” when his device burst into flames while he was cooking chips at his home in Cheltenham.

He said: “I could smell intense burning. It was a complete surprise to see it was the fryer itself that was on fire.”

Last week a house in Harlow, Essex, was heavily damaged by a fire — with it blamed on an electrical fault from an air fryer.

Other recent blazes linked to the device have been recorded in Shropshire, Bedfordshire, London, Greater Manchester and Edinburgh.

The increase comes after air fryers rose in popularity during the cost-of-living crisis, due to their energy efficiency.

The Home Office is reviewing the Incident Recording System to see if more categories, such as fryers, need to be added.

A spokesman said: “We regularly review the data that we receive from Fire and Rescue Services to ensure emerging risks are accurately captured.”

Getty