Fire Statistics, 2007

Statistics on fire incidents include data for Wales for the period up to the end of December 2007. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 2nd April 2008.

The Welsh Assembly Government compiles these statistics from reports on all fires attended submitted by all Fire and Rescue Services in Wales to the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).

The bulletin covers the period 1994-2007 and provides the latest annual in-depth analysis of fire incidents attended by Welsh Fire and Rescue Services. Analysis includes details on location, cause, motive, casualties and false alarms attended.

Fires

• The Welsh Fire and Rescue Services attended around 44,700 fires and false alarms in 2007, a decrease of 5 per cent on 2006.
• The number of primary fires in Wales decreased by 10 per cent over the year from 8,700 in 2006 to 7,800 in 2007.

Casualties

• There were 26 fatal casualties from fires in Wales in 2007 compared with 22 in 2006.
• The number of non-fatal casualties from fires fell by 2 per cent over the year to 648 in 2007 from 664 in 2006.

False Alarms

• In 2007 there were 19,600 false fire alarms in Wales, down from 19,800 in 2006.
• Overall the number of malicious false fire alarms has decreased 8 per cent since 2006 to 1,530 in 2007.

Smoke Alarms

• In 36 per cent of the 2,400 fires in dwellings in Wales, no smoke alarm was installed.

Cause of Fires

• In 2007 most accidental fires were caused by faulty fuel supplies or misuse of equipment or appliances.

Further information can be found on the StatsWales website.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 3371
E-mail: stats.inclusion@wales.gsi.gov.uk