Fire Statistics* - Did you know ... ?

• In 2004, there were a total of 90,500 accidental fires and 91,200 deliberate fires in the UK.
• There were 508 fire related deaths in total.
  73% of these were in England alone.
• There were 37,600 fires recorded in buildings other than dwellings The following information was published this year:
  - retail distribution (13%) 4,900 fires
  - restaurants, cafes, public houses etc (8%) 2,900 fires
  - Industrial premises (other than construction) (7%) 2,700 fires
  - Recreational and other cultural services (7%) 2,500 fires
  
• 55 people died of fire related causes in buildings other than dwellings in 2004.
• A total of 21,500 accidental fires in other buildings were recorded.
• Over half of the fires recorded in other buildings were started accidentally (57%).
• The main cause of accidental fire in other buildings in 2004 was faulty appliances and leads. These represented 29% of all such fires, a total of 6,300.
• Just over half of accidental fires in other buildings were started by either electrical appliances (6000 fires) or by cooking appliances (5100 fires)
  Other causes of accidental fire reported included;
  - Careless handling of fire or hot substances 1,800
  - Misuse of equipment or appliances 4,000
  - Placing articles too close to heat, 1,500
  - Faulty fuel supplies, 2,000
  - Space heating appliances, 638
  - Smokers Materials, 1,900 (matches, 180)
  - Electrical distribution (leads to appliances, wires, cables), 2,700
  
• The remaining 16,100 (43%) fire were due to deliberate ignition.

The following were recorded as the financial losses incurred between July 2004 and July 2005 due to fires both accidental and intentional in different sectors of business**:

Where the fires occurred	No. of fires	Estimated loss (£)
Retail	14	78,031,065
Hospitality	13	12,488,511
Local/national fires	11	8,533,000
Education	10	28,825,000
Food and Drink Industry	9	78,626,000
Entertainment and leisure industry	4	8,120,000
Dwelling	4	7,297,509
Agricultural industry	4	3,350,000
Place of worship	4	2,570,000
Unoccupied Building	4	2,195,000
Wholesale	4	1,414,750
Motor trade	4	1,410,000
Engineering	3	5,975,000
Timber and furniture	2	7,485,000
Transport	2	5,414,000
Textile and clothing industry	2	2,675,000
Laundrette	2	960,000
Chemical industry	2	945,000
Warehouse	2	849,356
Printing industry	1	14,000,000
Community centre	1	5,500,000
Sport and recreation	1	3,000,000
Hotel	1	800,000
Office	1	730,000
Building under refurbishment	1	650,000
Construction industry	1	350,000
Healthcare	1	300,000
Library	1	300,000
Plastics industry	1	250,000
Other known	2	960,000
Unknown	51	78,277,651
Total	163	632,281,842

Below are the causes of the above July 2004 - June 2005 fires and the estimated loss to companies due to their specific cause**.

How the fires started	No. of fires	Estimated loss (£)
Deliberate ignition	44	110,735,860
Electrical	27	40,775,418
Friction, Heat and sparks	11	25,128,750
Smoking Materials	7	8,347,994
Cooking	5	27,100,576
Naked Light	4	5,300,000
Spontaneous combustion	3	2,945,000
Oil	3	2,240,000
Spread from secondary fire	2	515,000
Fireworks	1	4,000,000
LPG cutting equipment	1	695,000
Gas	1	411,000
Under Investigation	38	116,215,053
Unknown	16	17,872,191
Total	163	632,281,842

* Source: Fire Statistics United Kingdom 2004, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister © Crown copyright 2006

** Source: The Fire Protection Association, Fire Prevention Engineers Journal - May 2006