§ Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many fires there were in(a) occupied dwellings, (b) multiple-occupied dwellings in detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, and (c) multiple-occupied dwellings in other buildings, in each of the three most recent years for which figures are available; and if he will analyse these data by the most likely cause of fire;
(2) how many (a) deaths, and (b) casualties there were due to fire in (i) single occupied dwellings, (ii) multiple-occupied dwellings in detached, semi-detached and terraced house, and (iii) multiple-occupied dwellings in 487W other buildings, analysed by the most likely cause of fire, in each of the three most recent years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. John PattenSome information on fires attended by local authority fire brigades in dwellings in single and multiple occupation, and on the resulting casualties, is published annually in "Fire Statistics United Kingdom" (for example, tables 32, 46 and 47 of the volume for 1986) copies of which are in the Library. The following tables give the more detailed information requested, for the years 1984–86. Information for 1987 is not yet available.
Fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by type of dwelling and cause of fire 1984 1985 1986 United Kingdom Dwellings in single occupation—total 436 438 462 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 40 45 47 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 35 33 34 Misuse of appliances 78 89 91 Playing with fire 20 32 42 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 139 125 118 Placing articles too close to heat 51 47 50 Other, unknown or unspecified 73 67 80 Detached semi-detached or terraced houses in multiple occupation—total 99 86 89 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 5 13 5 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 11 4 3 Misuse of appliances 14 10 20 Playing with fire — — 3 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 38 42 35 Placing articles too close to heat 8 10 12 Other, unknown or unspecified 23 7 11 Other dwellings in multiple occupation—total 151 169 194 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 12 16 14 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 9 21 20 Misuse of appliances 27 17 35 Playing with fire 1 13 10 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 74 66 79 Placing articles too close to heat 12 19 12 Other, unknown or unspecified 16 17 24 Dwellings in multiple occupation of unspecified type—total — — — All dwellings in multiple occupation 250 255 283 488W
Fires in dwellings by type of dwelling and cause of fire United Kingdom 1984 1985 1986 Dwellings in single occupation—total 34,972 36,905 37,313 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 1,837 1,908 2,065 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 7,152 7,798 7,990 Misuse of appliances 15,663 16,429 16,682 Playing with fire 1,518 1,740 1,548 Careless handing of fire or hot substances 3,354 3,386 3,441
United Kingdom 1984 1985 1986 Placing articles too close to heat 2,336 2,557 2,627 Other, unknown or unspecified 3,112 3,087 2,960 Detached, semi-detached or terraced houses in multiple occupation—total 6,616 7,242 7,343 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 678 865 870 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 930 1,050 1,065 Misuse of appliances 2,921 3,010 3,109 Playing with fire 315 316 303 Careless handing of fire or hot substances 938 1,099 1,102 Placing articles too close to heat 430 485 496 Other, unknown or unspecified 404 417 398 Other dwellings in multiple occupation—total 14,383 15,203 15,020 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 2,702 3,028 3,166 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 1,220 1,382 1,310 Misuse of appliances 5,251 5,564 5,637 Playing with fire 1,476 1,556 1,297 Careless handing of fire or hot substances 2,423 2,509 2,520 Placing articles too close to heat 609 619 682 Other, unknown or unspecified 702 545 408 Dwellings in multiple occupation of unspecified type—total 21 23 26 All dwellings in multiple occupation 21,020 22,468 22,389 489W
Non-fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by type of dwelling and cause of fire United Kingdom 1984 1985 1986 Dwellings in single occupation—total 4,546 4,836 5,459 Cause Deliberate or possible deliberate 329 337 424 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 591 671 697 Misuse of appliances 1,727 1,929 2,124 Playing with fire 363 420 408 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 897 796 1,057 Placing articles too close to heat 345 341 429 Other, unknown or unspecified 294 342 320 Detached, semi-detached or terraced houses in multiple occupation—total 1,167 1,230 1,347 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 121 170 191 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 112 117 128 Misuse of appliances 388 431 475 Playing with fire 34 31 48 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 289 283 303 Placing articles too close to heat 89 98 109 Other, unknown or unspecified 134 100 93 Other dwellings in multiple occupation—total 1,945 2,276 2,385 Cause Deliberate or possibly deliberate 314 367 411 Faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies 154 193 136 Misuse of appliances 682 766 842 Playing with fire 96 154 108 Careless handling of fire or hot substances 472 514 638
United Kingdom 1984 1985 1986 Placing articles too close to heat 140 148 168 Other, unknown or unspecified 87 134 82 Dwellings in multiple occupation of unspecified type—total — — 4 All dwellings in multiple occupation 3,112 3,506 3,736
§ Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rescues were made by fire brigades from fires in(a) single-occupied dwellings, (b) multiple-occupied dwellings in detached, semi-detached and terraced houses and (c) multiple-occupied dwellings in other buildings, in each of the three most recent years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. John PattenThe numbers of persons rescued, both by brigade staff and without brigade assistance, from fires attended by local authority fire brigades in dwellings and other occupied buildings in the United Kingdom are published in "Fire Statistics United Kingdom" (Table 20 of the volume for 1986, copies of which are in the Library). The following table gives the more detailed information requested for rescues by brigade staff for the years 1984–86. Information for 1987 is not yet available.
Rescues by brigades from fires in dwellings by type of occupancy United Kingdom Type of building Number of persons rescued 1984 1985 1986 Dwellings Single occupancy 897 932 1,044 Multiple occupancy 490W
Fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by type of dwelling, age and whether trapped—United Kingdom Number of persons 1984 1985 1986 Total Trapped Total Trapped Total Trapped Dwellings in single occupation Total casualties 436 300 438 295 462 299 0–15 years 97 93 74 68 81 75 16–60 years 112 80 111 83 147 106 Over 60 years 227 127 251 143 232 116 Unspecified age — — 2 1 2 2 Detached, semi-detached or terrace houses in multiple occupation Total casualties 99 66 86 62 89 62 0–15 years 13 9 4 4 7 7 16–60 years 43 33 39 32 40 31 Over 60 years 43 24 43 26 41 23 Unspecified age — — — — 1 1 Other dwellings in multiple occupation Total casualties 151 113 169 113 194 120 0–15 years 11 11 28 27 29 25 16–60 years 57 47 46 30 56 33 Over 60 years 83 55 95 56 109 62 Unspecified age — — — — — — Casualties in dwellings in multiple occupation of unspecified type — — — — — — All casualties in dwellings in multiple occupation 250 179 255 175 283 182 1 The figures for persons trapped exclude those who became casualties while discovering or fighting the fire but were also trapped.
Type of building Number of persons rescued 1984 1985 1986 Detached, semi-detached or terraced houses 603 693 687 Other 1,015 1,177 1,127 Of unspecified type — — 6 Unknown or unspecified occupancy 39 42 47 All dwellings 2,554 2,844 2,911
§ Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the data for(a) deaths and (b) casualties from fires in (i) singly-occupied dwellings, (ii) multiple-occupied dwellings in detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, and (iii) multiple-occupied dwellings in other buildings according to whether the persons were (1) aged under 16 years, (2) aged between 16 and 60 years, and (3) aged over 60 years; and if he will provide information on how many of the fatalities resulted from persons being trapped.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation on the age, and circumstances, of casualties in fires in dwellings attended by local authority fire brigades is published in "Fire Statistics United Kingdom" (Tables 26, 46 and 47 of the volume for 1986, copies of which are in the Library). The following tables give the more detailed information requested for the years 1984–86. Information for 1987 is not yet available.
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Non fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by type of dwelling and age—United Kingdom Number of persons 1984 1985 1986 Dwellings in single occupation Total casualties 4,246 4,836 5,459 0 to 15 years 781 830 949 16 to 60 years 2,254 2,747 3,073 Over 60 years 1,125 1,176 1,303 Unspecified age 86 83 134 Detached, semi-detached or terrace houses in multiple occupation Total casualties 1,167 1,230 1,347 0 to 15 years 96 115 143 16 to 60 years 746 787 878 Over 60 years 308 304 285 Unspecified age 17 24 41 Other dwellings in multiple occupation Total casualties 1,945 2,276 2,385 0 to 15 years 282 313 295 16 to 60 years 1,106 1,289 1,423 Over 60 years 526 650 606 Unspecified age 31 24 61 Casualties in dwellings in multiple occupation of unspecified type — — 4 All casualties in dwellings in multiple occupation 3,112 3,506 3,736