Fire damage caused by air fryers typically around £30k, warns insurer | Money News

Insurance claims following fires caused by air fryers are running into tens of thousands of pounds, an insurer has warned.

The typical claim for 2024 was £29,555, according to Aviva, but in one case it was as high as £80,000.

It has reported incidents where fire and smoke damage has spread to the entire kitchen destroying the ceiling, walls, cupboards and their contents.

It said there have been some significant home insurance claims over the past four years, after air fryers saw a surge in popularity because of potential energy savings compared with conventional ovens.

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Aviva said it had been contacted about air fryers bursting into flames and melting, destroying kitchen surfaces, and speculated on the reasons.

Based on a survey by Censuswide, commissioned by the insurer, around two-thirds (68%) of people said they own an air fryer.

According to the poll of 2,000 people in December, nearly a fifth (19%) had suffered a potential or actual fire hazard like smoke, overheating or scorching.

Potential reasons included: not following instructions in the manual, over-filling the air fryer and using it in a non-ventilated area such as a cupboard.

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The insurer also reported several claims where air fryers had been placed on hobs, which had been accidentally switched on, setting the air fryer alight.

In one case, a hungry dog had managed to turn on the cooker.

Luke Osborne, deputy technical director at charity Electrical Safety First, warned about the safety risks associated with air fryers which have “become a staple part of our kitchen set-up”.

Here’s some advice from Electrical Safety First to avoid air fryer misfortunes:

• Always register the product in the event a fault is detected by the manufacturer

• To avoid potential overheating, never overfill your air fryer and never plug the appliance into an extension lead

• Make sure you keep your power cords away from hot surfaces to avoid damaging cables

• Always refer to the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to remove grease build-up which can cause a fire