General Article How many fires are there in homes in the UK?

Topic Selected: Personal Safety Book Volume: 457

Fire safety in homes remains a significant issue across the UK, with thousands of fires occurring each year. However, recent data suggests a downward trend in the number of dwelling fires in Scotland, Wales, and England. While this is encouraging, challenges remain, particularly regarding smoke alarm presence and the causes of accidental fires. This article provides an overview of home fire statistics across the UK, highlighting trends and key findings from the latest reports.

Home fires in Scotland

Scotland recorded 4,249 dwelling fires in 2023/24, marking a 1.3% decrease from the previous year. The majority of these were accidental dwelling fires, with 3,811 incidents, which also saw a 1.6% reduction. Encouragingly, the overall number of fires dropped by 10% compared to the previous year, reflecting continued improvements in fire prevention and safety awareness.

One concerning finding, however, was that 26.4% of these dwelling fires occurred in homes without smoke alarms. This hig...

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