UK House Fire Statistics 2026: Fatalities, Causes, Trends & Official Data

This guide brings together all major, citable UK house (dwelling) fire data currently available from official government and national fire authority sources. It is written for journalists, researchers, and policy writers who need accurate, source-verifiable statistics.

Unless otherwise stated, figures refer to England, as this is where the most detailed and standardised dwelling-fire data is published.

What counts as a house fire

In UK fire statistics, a dwelling fire is defined as a fire occurring in a building or part of a building used as a place of residence, including houses, flats, apartments, and maisonettes. The term house fire is commonly used in public-facing reporting to describe dwelling fires.
(Source [1], [2])

How many house fires occur in the UK

Across Great Britain, Fire and Rescue Services attend around 34,000 dwelling fires per year, equivalent to roughly 90–95 house fires per day. This figure is derived from Fire & Rescue Services data tables and is widely cited in UK fire statistics summaries.
(Source [2], [3])

Over the long term, the number of dwelling fires has fallen substantially compared with levels seen 20 years ago, reflecting improvements in fire safety, building standards, and prevention activity.
(Source [3])

Overall fire incidents (context)

In the year ending June 2025, Fire and Rescue Services in England attended 628,764 incidents, a 5.7% increase on the previous year.
(Source [1])

Incident composition:

• 26% fires
• 40% fire false alarms
• 34% non-fire incidents

This context is essential when writing about house fires, as total service demand can increase even while some fire categories decline.
(Source [1])

Fires attended and the role of dwelling fires

Fire and Rescue Services in England attended 165,697 fires in the year ending June 2025. Much of the year-on-year increase was driven by secondary and outdoor fires, which are highly weather-dependent.
(Source [1])

Dwelling fires remain a distinct subset of total fires and should be reported separately to avoid misinterpreting wider outdoor fire trends as residential risk.
(Source [1], [2])

Building and dwelling fires

In the year ending June 2025, England recorded 39,896 building fires (including dwellings and other buildings). Building fires accounted for:

• 6.3% of all incidents
• 24% of all fires
• 61% of all primary fires

Over the past decade, building fires have made up a declining proportion of overall incidents and fires.
(Source [1], [2])

High-rise residential fires

Fire and Rescue Services attended 688 fires in purpose-built high-rise residential buildings (10 or more storeys) in England in the year ending June 2025. This represented a year-on-year decrease compared with the previous period.
(Source [2])

Over multi-year periods, high-rise residential fires account for a very small proportion of total dwelling fires.
(Source [2])

Common causes of house fires

Official dwelling-fire data consistently shows that:

• Cooking and cooking appliances are the leading cause of house fires.
• Electrical distribution systems and electrical appliances are among the next most common causes.
• Smoking materials cause a smaller share of incidents but are disproportionately associated with fatalities.

These patterns are stable across recent reporting years.
(Source [2], [3])

Human factors and preventability

Fire statistics classify many dwelling fires as accidental, with a large proportion linked to human factors, including:

• Leaving cooking unattended
• Misuse of equipment
• Placing combustible materials too close to heat sources

Official analyses repeatedly highlight that most accidental dwelling fires are preventable.
(Source [2], [3])

When house fires occur

UK dwelling-fire statistics show:

• Higher incidence during the early evening, coinciding with cooking activity
• Seasonal increases during winter months, linked to heating and indoor appliance use

Night-time fires are less frequent but are more likely to result in fatalities, as occupants may be asleep.
(Source [2], [3])

Fire-related fatalities and casualties (England)

Fire-related fatality figures are subject to revision due to ongoing investigations and coronial outcomes.
(Source [1])

In England, year ending June 2025:

• 279 fire-related fatalities occurred across all fire types
• 208 fatalities occurred in dwelling fires
• 6,650 non-fatal casualties were recorded

Dwelling fires remain the primary location for fire-related deaths.
(Source [1], [2])

Who is most at risk in house fires

Official analysis shows higher fatality risk among:

• Older people
• People living alone
• Individuals with reduced mobility or health vulnerabilities

Fire-related deaths are more likely to occur in homes without a working smoke alarm.
(Source [4])

Smoke alarms and fire prevention

Fire prevention statistics consistently show that:

• The majority of homes in England report having at least one smoke alarm
• A disproportionate share of dwelling fire deaths occur in properties without a functioning alarm
• Fire and Rescue Services carry out hundreds of thousands of Home Fire Safety Checks annually, targeting higher-risk households

These measures are central to long-term reductions in dwelling fires and fatalities.
(Source [4])

Response times to house fires (England)

Response time is measured from the emergency call to the arrival of the first vehicle on scene, with exclusions applied to prevent distortion.
(Source [1])

In the year ending June 2025:

• Average response times to dwelling fires were around eight minutes
• Response times have shown a gradual upward trend over the past decade
• A temporary reduction occurred during the COVID-19 period due to lower traffic volumes

(Source [1], [2])

Data quality and revisions

All official fire statistics are drawn from the Incident Recording System (IRS). As the IRS is continuously updated, figures—particularly fatalities and casualties—may be revised in future releases.
(Source [1])

Data Sources

[1] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending June 2025.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-england-year-ending-june-2025

[2] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Fire statistics data tables.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics-data-tables

[3] Morgan Clark.
UK house fire statistics.
https://www.morganclark.co.uk/uk-house-fire-statistics/

[4] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Fire prevention and protection statistics, England.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-prevention-and-protection-statistics