UK Fire Trends: Homes, Buildings and Wildfires

Homes safer, outdoors worseUpdated 4 October 2026

Trend summary

  • Fire deaths in England fell to 254 in the year to March 2026, 17% fewer than a decade earlier; 184 died in home fires.
  • Battery fires in e-bikes and e-scooters are the new risk at home, and 4,724 high-rise blocks still had unsafe cladding in August 2026.
  • Outdoors, 2025 was a record wildfire year, with about 47,000 hectares burned across the UK.

How this page is built. Figures come from the official statistical releases linked above; where agencies publish provisional numbers we say so, because they are revised. UK statistics are often published separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so we say which area each figure covers. Photos are public-domain, Creative Commons or Open Government Licence images credited in each caption; file photos are illustrative and are not from the events described unless the caption says so. This page tracks trends and is not personal safety, medical, legal or financial advice.