COOKING cock-ups were behind a record number of false fire call-outs last year, figures show.
Crews attended 43,800 properties to find alarms had been triggered by smouldering food, like toast.
GettyKitchen flops caused a record number of false fire call-outs last year by burning toast[/caption]
Most were believed to been in apartment blocks or university halls of residence with smoke or temperature alarms that automatically alert the nearest fire station.
The figure is up 27 per cent from a decade ago, when food-related incidents saw 34,000 firefighter responses.
Home Office stats show nearly 1,700 crews rushed to family BBQs after worried neighbours mistook the smoke as a deadly blaze, and 2,500 incidents caused by steam.
A further 6,500 were deemed malicious including 2,500 999 alerts from sick pranksters, and 3,000 alarms smashed by yobs.
In all there were 246,581 false call-outs in the 12 months to June.
They cost taxpayers £350 an hour, the National Fire Chiefs’ Council said — nearly £1billion a year.
In 2010, burnt toast at ex-PM Tony Blair’s Buckinghamshire mansion triggered an automatic fire alarm.
Wife Cherie was forced to apologise.
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