Air fryer incidents rise in UK homes while chip pan fires decline - fire brigade issues advice

Air fryers are increasingly being mentioned in fire incident reports as the number of recorded chip pan fires decreases, according to new data released by the Home Office. Electrical Safety First, a campaigning charity that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electricity in homes, said there had been a “huge surge in popularity” of air fryers and it was “likely” that accidents involving such appliances could occur.

Analysis of Home Office data revealed that the number of fires in England where emergency services have mentioned “air fryer” in incident reports increased from 23 in the year to March 2022, to 93 the following year. From March 2015 to March 2021, there were just 31 mentions of air fryers in fire incident reports.

However, a mention of an air fryer in an incident report does not necessarily mean the fire was caused by the device.

The number of fires caused by chip and fat pans in England has dropped by nearly 50% from 2,328 between March 2010 and March 2011 to 1,182 between March 2022 and March 2023, according to separate Home Office data collected by its incident recording system.

Since the start of 2023, air fryers have outsold deep fat fryers by over 92 to one at the kitchenware retailer Lakeland. Lakeland’s 2023 trend report stated that 45% of UK households own an air fryer.

An Electrical Safety First spokesperson said: “Air fryers especially have seen a huge surge in popularity in the last year and so as more of these items are used in homes it is likely that accidents involving these appliances may occur, and like all accidents they can be terrifying to experience.

“Always register the product to make sure you are contactable in the event a fault is detected by the manufacturer. Never overfill your air fryer, and to avoid potential overheating, never plug the appliance into an extension lead.”

Two million Cosori air fryers were recalled earlier this year in the US after a wire connection was found to overheat.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home.

“It’s really important that you always check that air fryers and other appliances are turned off and unplugged when not in use, unless they’re designed to be left on, like your fridge or freezer.

“Keep clutter to a minimum on your kitchen work surfaces especially near air fryers, toasters and hobs as they can accidentally switch them on or catch fire.”

Additional data released by the Home Office revealed there have been 325 fires in England where emergency services have mentioned “solar panel” or “photovoltaic panel” in incident reports between 2010 and 2022 – though such a mention does not necessarily mean the fire was caused by a solar panel.