The Langford Fire Department is urging residents to be more mindful when they are cooking after the department responded to kitchen fires 12 times in the past month.

"This is just unheard of, it's just been crazy," said Simon Chadwick, assistant chief of fire prevention and inspection for the department. "But it's just carelessness that's caused most of these fires, and some of them have been quite devastating."

Chadwick says the majority of the fires were caused by people either leaving stoves and ovens unattended or using the stove as a workspace and something gets knocked onto the stove, causing a fire.

To mitigate the risk of a fire, Chadwick says the number one tip is to remain attentive and to not leave anything on a stove while unattended. He also said to avoid "stove-top storage" and to keep anything flammable away from a stove.

Making sure smoke alarms are on and have working batteries is also important, he said, as well as having a fire extinguisher on hand just in case.

If there is a fire, those in the house are urged to turn off the element, exit the house, and call 911.

"Be cautious about what you're doing in the kitchen and make sure that you keep your stove-tops nice and clean," he said. "Kitchen fires are one of the leading causes of home fires, so we just want to remind people of the importance of fire safety in the kitchen."