(English) Fire deaths rise in England prompts ‘postcode lottery’ claim

The number of people dying in fire-related incidents in England has seen its biggest percentage increase in 20 years.

 Data published by the Home Office shows 303 people died in fires in 2015-16, a 15% increase on the previous 12 months.

Fire services in Cambridgeshire and Cumbria had the highest fatality rates.

Fire Service Minister Brandon Lewis said there had been “a long term downward trend” in fire deaths.

The figures show that in 2015-16 fire services across England attended around 162,000 fires – an increase of 7,000 from the previous year.

From these incidents, fire services recorded 303 fire-related fatalities, which is 39 more than in the previous 12 months.

The number of people dying in fires across England had been steadily falling over the past three decades, with the number of fire related fatalities being 22% lower than in 2005-06.

The Home Office says the rise in the number of deaths is due to an increase in the number of accidental fires taking place in people’s homes, along with an increase in the number of fatal fires involving aircraft. The Shoreham air show disaster in 2015 led to 11 such fire related deaths.

The BBC has also found that there are wide geographical variations in the fatality rate for primary fires, which are classed as being the most serious kind.

Last year, the fire and rescue services in Cambridgeshire and Cumbria had the highest fatality rates with 25 deaths occurring for every 1,000 primary fires.

In comparison, the England average was seven deaths per 1,000 fires.