KUANTAN: Experiencing a faulty gas stove? The most important thing to remember is to not take matters into your own hands.
The Fire and Rescue Department issued a reminder for the people to immediately seek advice from experts to fix faulty stoves.
This is in light of the Aidilfitri festive season when household members will be spending long hours in the kitchen preparing to host open house events and family gatherings.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Dr Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa said in case of a stove malfunction, it is best to get the experts to look into it or send it to the shop to be repaired.
"Those facing such a situation should not attempt to repair it or try to identify the problems themselves. There are several possibilities.... maybe there is a leak at the gas hose that connects the cylinder to the stove.
"One has to be extra careful when they notice gas is leaking and the surrounding (doors and windows) is closed. The gas leaks into the air (area inside the kitchen) and a spark might trigger an explosion and fire," he told reporters when met during the launch of a fire safety campaign and Ops Raya Aidilfitri 2022 at a shopping mall, here.
Mohammad Zaidi said households can prevent gas leaks by inspecting the stove and other appliances at their house on a regular basis.
"We understand there might be heavy use of the gas stove during the festive season or family gatherings. Conducting regular servicing might prevent untoward incidents.
"Everyone has to be extra careful and they must not be careless... sometimes after cooking till late at night, they might become tired and go for a rest without realising they forgot to switch off the stove," he said.
Meanwhile, he said picking the correct electrical extension cords was vital to help prevent fire incidents as some electrical appliances required high voltage.
"Do not choose cheap extension cords, instead go for the heavy duty ones. For example, the electric oven consumes quite a lot of power so it needs high voltage and utilising a cheap extension cord might result in excessive use of electricity which can lead to overloading," he said.
On April 9, a 39-year-old man was killed while his son escaped with burns following a fire at their house in Kampung Padang Perdana, here. The gas stove in his house was experiencing problems and the victim had repaired the stove before the fire broke out less than 30 minutes later in their kitchen.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Mohammad Zaidi said faulty air conditioning wiring resulted in a fire at a flat unit in Medan Warisan along Jalan Tanah Putih on April 8 which killed a senior citizen.
"The victim was not burnt to death but he might have been trapped while trying to douse the fire and died due to smoke inhalation. His remains were found in the living room," he said, adding a wiring issue had led to the fire.
In the incident, Ramle Mohamad, 64, died after he was trapped inside the premises on the second floor of the building.