Update: 6:09PM THE National Fire Authority has reported that unattended cooking has been the major cause of house fires in the country this year.
NFA chief executive officer John OConnor said they had attended to five fires that were caused by unattended cooking, four by suspected arson, and one caused by candles, mosquito coil and a prayer diya and three by electrical fault.
"It is important that members of the community should always be very careful with ignition sources to stop the risk of fires from these common causes," Mr O'Connor said.
NFA believes that all these fires could have been avoided had those been responsible and accountable took extra care, he said.