CFA warns over evaporative cooling in wake of house fires

The Country Fire Authority said it was able to contain all four fires at the cooling units before they spread through the homes.

However, it warned, such fires have the potential to cause extensive damage.

With Victoria's weather due to heat up next week, reaching 39 degrees in Bendigo on Tuesday, the CFA is urging residents to get their evaporative coolers serviced.

In fact, the CFA recommends evaporative coolers be checked yearly for both cost and safety reasons – to ensure they are operating optimally and do not present problems that could cause an electrical fault or fire.

"People should maintain their air conditioners and evaporative coolers by ensuring the dust filters and vent outlets inside the properties are cleaned regularly," said CFA state fire investigation co-ordinator Nicole Harvey.

They should also have the "units regularly serviced according to the manufacturer's specifications".

Ms Harvey advised residents to check product safety recalls online to ensure their systems are not among those items with known faults.

Victoria's Director of Energy Safety, Paul Fearon, reiterated this message.

"Regular maintenance not only allows manufacturer's upgrades and adjustments to be made, it ensures your air conditioner or evaporative cooler will be working safely and efficiently when you need it most," Mr Fearon said.

"Annual servicing of cooling appliances can also help to identify problems that could cause an electrical fault or fire.

"This year, Victoria's fire services have already responded to a number of fires caused by these appliances and we don't want to see any more this summer."

CFA investigators are conducting further enquiries into the exact origin and cause of the cooling unit fires over the weekend.

A spokeswoman for the CFA would not identify the brand or brands of the units, but said the authority might release this information upon completion of the investigation.