Rotherham house fire deaths fall

Only one person has died in an accidental house fire in South Yorkshire over the last twelve months, according to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, compared to five in 2009/10 and nine the year before that.

Nobody has died in an accidental house fire in Rotherham for five years.

The figures for 2010/11 also show a slight drop in the overall number of accidental house fires—664 in 2010/11 compared to 697 in 2009/10.

Fire chiefs said that the latest stats reward fire prevention work such as home safety checks and campaign activity.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Jamie Courtney said: “The majority of house fires we attend start accidentally so it is extremely encouraging to see that people are taking note of our safety advice.

“But the dangers still exist, particularly in the case of cooking and smoking related fires, and our work to raise awareness of these risks will continue.”

The fire fatality referred to in South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s statistics happened in June last year, when a man died following a fire in Balby, Doncaster.

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