House fire deaths hit record low

DEATHS from accidental house fires are now at the lowest level since records began, according to new figures from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Apr 2011, 10:32 BST

Only one person died in an accidental house fire in South Yorkshire over the last year – compared with five in 2009-10 and nine the year before that.

In 2001-02, the first year in which statistics were recorded in their current format, 16 people were killed in the county in accidental house fires.

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Deputy chief fire officer Jamie Courtney said: “The majority of house fires we attend start accidentally so it is extremely encouraging to see that people are taking note of our safety advice.

“But the dangers still exist, particularly in the case of cooking and smoking-related fires, and our work to raise awareness of these risks will continue.”

The only person to die in an accidental fire in 2010-11 was a man in Balby, Doncaster. For the first time in four years, Sheffield recorded no fatalities and it was the first time in five years that there were also none in Barnsley.

Figures also show a slight drop in the overall number of accidental house fires – 664 in 2010-11 compared with 697 in 2009-10.

Related topics:South Yorkshire Fire and RescueSheffieldSouth YorkshireDoncasterBarnsley