Fire statistics help show how often fire and rescue services are called out, what types of incidents they attend, where fire risk is concentrated and how outcomes such as deaths and casualties are changing over time.
This page brings together the latest approved Fire Risk Assessment Network analysis of official government fire statistics for England. It covers incidents attended by fire and rescue services, dwelling fires, fire-related deaths, non-fatal casualties, smoke alarm performance, sources of ignition and seasonal fire patterns.
The figures are designed as a reference resource for building owners, responsible persons, journalists, researchers and anyone looking for current fire safety data. Where appropriate, we calculate annual changes and longer-term trends from comparable reporting periods, while preserving the source dataset, geographical scope and reporting period.
Headline Fire Statistics
These headline figures summarise the latest approved fire statistics for England. For building-specific advice, see our fire risk assessment service. Figures are not labelled as UK-wide unless the source dataset covers the whole UK.
In Year ending March 2026, fire and rescue services in England attended 641,227 incidents. Of these, 170,597 were fires, 255,047 were fire false alarms and 215,583 were non-fire incidents, including non-fire false alarms.
Source: Fire Risk Assessment Network analysis of MHCLG fire statistics. Underlying data is official government fire and rescue statistics.
| Measure | Latest value | Scope / period |
|---|---|---|
| Total incidents attended | 641,227 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Total fires | 170,597 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Primary fires | 66,383 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Fire false alarms | 255,047 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Non-fire incidents, including non-fire false alarms | 215,583 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Fire-related fatalities | 254 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Non-fatal casualties | 6,848 | Year ending March 2026 |
How Many Fires Are There?
This section answers how many fires there are and whether the latest comparable annual total is moving up or down.
10-Year Trend: Fires Attended
| Year | Fires | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 162,089 | |
| 2017/18 | 167,403 | |
| 2018/19 | 182,968 | |
| 2019/20 | 154,195 | |
| 2020/21 | 151,115 | |
| 2021/22 | 152,673 | |
| 2022/23 | 178,913 | |
| 2023/24 | 138,985 | |
| 2024/25 | 143,049 | |
| 2025/26 | 170,597 |
| Incident type | Incidents | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Non-fire incidents | 204,742 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Due to apparatus | 172,247 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Secondary Fires | 102,549 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Good intent | 77,181 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Dwellings | 26,180 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Road Vehicles | 19,600 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Other Buildings | 13,679 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Non-fire false alarms | 10,841 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Other Outdoors | 6,924 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Malicious | 5,619 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Chimney Fires | 1,665 | Year ending March 2026 |
Fire Statistics By Area
The table below ranks fire and rescue authorities by total incidents attended in the latest approved FIRE0102 period. The annual change column compares each authority with the previous comparable year-ending March period in the same dataset.
| Rank | Fire And Rescue Authority | Total Incidents | Annual Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater London | 139,161 | +24,332 (+4.6%) |
| 2 | Greater Manchester | 35,840 | +7,972 (+5.9%) |
| 3 | West Midlands | 32,880 | +13,824 (+11.7%) |
| 4 | West Yorkshire | 26,132 | +7,500 (+7.7%) |
| 5 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 19,118 | +1,136 (+1.5%) |
| 6 | Essex | 18,847 | +7,236 (+10.6%) |
| 7 | Merseyside | 18,731 | +3,528 (+4.9%) |
| 8 | Kent | 18,131 | +3,396 (+4.9%) |
| 9 | Lancashire | 17,909 | +2,144 (+3.1%) |
| 10 | Tyne and Wear | 17,721 | +1,200 (+1.7%) |
Biggest Annual Increases By Area
| Fire And Rescue Authority | Latest Total | Previous Total | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater London | 556,644 | 532,312 | +24,332 (+4.6%) |
| West Midlands | 131,520 | 117,696 | +13,824 (+11.7%) |
| Greater Manchester | 143,360 | 135,388 | +7,972 (+5.9%) |
| West Yorkshire | 104,528 | 97,028 | +7,500 (+7.7%) |
| Essex | 75,388 | 68,152 | +7,236 (+10.6%) |
| South Yorkshire | 61,900 | 54,948 | +6,952 (+12.7%) |
| Dorset and Wiltshire | 57,452 | 51,864 | +5,588 (+10.8%) |
| Cleveland | 43,884 | 38,404 | +5,480 (+14.3%) |
| Nottinghamshire | 49,140 | 43,836 | +5,304 (+12.1%) |
| Hertfordshire | 51,804 | 46,588 | +5,216 (+11.2%) |
Biggest Annual Decreases By Area
| Fire And Rescue Authority | Latest Total | Previous Total | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devon and Somerset | 67,944 | 69,932 | -1,988 (-2.8%) |
| Oxfordshire | 24,012 | 24,972 | -960 (-3.8%) |
| Cornwall | 20,032 | 20,496 | -464 (-2.3%) |
| Bedfordshire | 33,812 | 34,160 | -348 (-1.0%) |
| Shropshire | 15,208 | 15,468 | -260 (-1.7%) |
| Isles Of Scilly | 148 | 152 | -4 (-2.6%) |
| Buckinghamshire | 29,120 | 28,904 | +216 (+0.7%) |
| Avon | 50,300 | 49,684 | +616 (+1.2%) |
| Cumbria | 19,816 | 19,188 | +628 (+3.3%) |
| Gloucestershire | 26,244 | 25,500 | +744 (+2.9%) |
Population-Adjusted Fire And Rescue Authority Rates
Population-adjusted rates are not shown yet: No FRS population data has been imported yet. Once an approved FRS population table is imported, this section will show incidents per 100,000 people.
Incident rankings are based on recorded incidents attended. Population-adjusted rates are shown only where an approved FRS population source has been imported.
House Fire Statistics
Dwelling fire statistics cover fires in homes, including houses, flats and other dwelling types. FIRE0202 provides motive and casualty figures; FIRE0205 breaks fires down by dwelling type.
10-Year Trend: Dwelling Fires
| Year | Dwelling fires | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 30,360 | |
| 2017/18 | 30,828 | |
| 2018/19 | 29,598 | |
| 2019/20 | 28,505 | |
| 2020/21 | 27,018 | |
| 2021/22 | 27,172 | |
| 2022/23 | 26,839 | |
| 2023/24 | 25,592 | |
| 2024/25 | 25,465 | |
| 2025/26 | 26,180 |
| Measure | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Dwelling fires | 26,180 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Accidental dwelling fires | 23,795 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Deliberate dwelling fires | 2,385 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Dwelling fire fatalities | 184 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Dwelling fire casualties | 4,898 | Year ending March 2026 |
House Vs Flat Vs Other Dwelling Fire Statistics
| Dwelling type | Dwelling fires |
|---|---|
| House – single occupancy | 13,460 |
| Purpose Built Low Rise (1-3) Flats/Maisonettes | 4,420 |
| Purpose Built Medium Rise (4-9) Flats/Maisonettes | 1,811 |
| Converted Flat/Maisonette – single occupancy | 1,798 |
| Other dwelling | 1,750 |
| Bungalow – single occupancy | 1,468 |
| Dwelling – Multiple occupancy | 778 |
| Purpose Built High Rise (10+) Flats/Maisonettes | 695 |
Fire Death Statistics
Fire death and casualty figures are taken from FIRE0502, which reports fatalities, non-fatal casualties and fatal fires by location group. Fire-related fatalities are those that would not otherwise have occurred had there not been a fire; records where the role of fire is not known are included in the published fire-related total.
10-Year Trend: Fire-Related Deaths
| Year | Deaths | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 265 | |
| 2017/18 | 338 | |
| 2018/19 | 251 | |
| 2019/20 | 243 | |
| 2020/21 | 236 | |
| 2021/22 | 274 | |
| 2022/23 | 268 | |
| 2023/24 | 250 | |
| 2024/25 | 280 | |
| 2025/26 | 254 |
| Measure | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Fire-related fatalities | 254 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Non-fatal casualties | 6,848 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Casualties requiring hospital treatment | 2,998 | Year ending March 2026 |
| Fatal fires | 239 | Year ending March 2026 |
Official non-fatal casualty figures include all non-fatal casualties in fires, whether the injury was caused by the fire or not.
| Location group | Fatalities | Casualties |
|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | 184 | 4,898 |
| Road Vehicles | 37 | 516 |
| Other Buildings | 17 | 991 |
| Other Outdoors | 16 | 443 |
Smoke Alarm Statistics
Smoke alarm statistics show whether an alarm was present, whether it operated, and whether it raised the alarm. The latest FIRE0702 period is not necessarily the same as the latest quarterly incident datasets.
| Smoke alarm measure | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Primary fires in dataset | 25,334 | 2024/25 |
| Alarm present and raised alarm: primary fires | 12,090 | 2024/25 |
| Alarm absent: primary fires | 5,977 | 2024/25 |
| Alarm present but did not operate: primary fires | 4,700 | 2024/25 |
| Alarm absent: fatalities | 64 | 2024/25 |
| Alarm absent: casualties | 929 | 2024/25 |
What Are The Most Common Sources Of Ignition?
Ignition-source statistics help identify the most common recorded sources of ignition associated with primary fires. They should not be treated as a full causal investigation of every incident. FIRE0602 currently uses an annual dataset ending 2024/25.
| Source of ignition | Primary fires |
|---|---|
| Other/ Unspecified | 30,505 |
| Cooking appliances | 11,665 |
| Electrical distribution | 7,116 |
| Other electrical appliances | 4,053 |
| Smokers' materials | 2,948 |
| Cigarette lighters | 1,447 |
| Space heating appliances | 1,188 |
| Matches | 1,153 |
| Candles | 982 |
| Blowlamps, welding and cutting equipment | 352 |
| Central and water heating appliances | 240 |
When Do Most Fires Happen?
Monthly fire statistics show when fires are most commonly recorded during the year, based on the latest approved FIRE0802 dataset.
| Month | Fires |
|---|---|
| April | 10,622 |
| May | 11,846 |
| June | 13,985 |
| July | 13,867 |
| August | 16,679 |
| September | 11,102 |
| October | 10,497 |
| November | 12,489 |
| December | 8,681 |
| January | 9,004 |
| February | 8,796 |
| March | 14,926 |
Conclusion
Overall, the data shows why fire safety needs to be treated as an active management issue rather than a one-off compliance task. Incident volumes, dwelling fires, smoke alarm performance and casualty figures all point to the importance of prevention, maintenance, competent fire risk assessment and clear management arrangements.
These statistics should be read in context. They describe patterns across England and do not replace a building-specific fire risk assessment. Local risk can vary significantly depending on property type, occupancy, management standards, building condition and the fire safety measures in place.
Fire Risk Assessment Network will continue to update this page as new official datasets are released, reviewed and approved.
About Our Data
Fire Risk Assessment Network analyses official government fire and rescue data and calculates additional measures including long-term trends and percentage changes where the source data is comparable.
The underlying government data is attributed under the Open Government Licence. Fire Risk Assessment Network should be credited for the analysis, summaries, rankings, charts and calculated measures on this page.
| Dataset | Latest period | Approved import | Approved at |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIRE0102 – Incidents attended by fire and rescue services in England, by incident type and fire and rescue authority | Year ending March 2026 | 1 | 2026-08-09 13:18:04 |
| FIRE0202 – Primary dwelling fires, fatalities and non-fatal casualties in dwellings by motive and fire and rescue authority, England | Year ending March 2026 | 2 | 2026-08-09 13:32:35 |
| FIRE0205 – Dwelling fires, fatalities and casualties by dwelling type, England | Year ending March 2026 | 3 | 2026-08-09 13:57:55 |
| FIRE0502 – Fatalities and non-fatal casualties by Fire and Rescue Authority and location group, England | Year ending March 2026 | 4 | 2026-08-09 13:38:50 |
| FIRE0602 – Primary fires, fatalities and non-fatal casualties by source of ignition, England | 2024/25 | 5 | 2026-08-09 13:56:47 |
| FIRE0702 – Primary fires, fatalities and non-fatal casualties by presence and operation of smoke alarms, England | 2024/25 | 6 | 2026-08-09 13:44:08 |
| FIRE0802 – Daily rate of fire incidents by month and location/property type, England | 2024/25 | 7 | 2026-08-09 13:57:18 |
Using These Statistics
Journalists, researchers and publishers may reference statistics and charts from this page. Please credit Fire Risk Assessment Network and link to this page.
Accuracy Notes
- Figures are for England unless a source dataset explicitly states otherwise.
- Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not yet included in the automated analysis on this page.
- In MHCLG headline reporting, non-fire incidents include non-fire false alarms; FIRE0102 may also show non-fire false alarms as a separate incident type row.
- Reporting periods vary between datasets. The latest smoke alarm, ignition source and monthly datasets may lag behind incident headline datasets.
- MHCLG notes that fire data was collected through the Incident Recording System until November 2025 and through the Fire and Rescue Data Platform from November 2025.
- Percentage changes are calculated only from comparable approved periods in the same dataset.
- If government methodology changes, figures should be reviewed before treating periods as directly comparable.
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