THE number of people injured as a result of fires in North Ayrshire has dropped dramatically in the last year.

The figure dropped by 90.9 per cent from 11 last year across North Ayrshire to one, according to the latest figures released by local fire chiefs.

That casualty was taken to hospital with slight injuries caused by an accidental fire in the home.

Meanwhile, accidental house fires totalled 40 which is an increase of two on the three year average.

The majority were linked to cooking but were put out by smothering or removal and did not result in damage to homes.

The statistics – covering 1 April, 2016 to 30 June, 2016 – were revealed by Local Senior Officer for Ayrshire, James Scott.

He presented them to North Ayrshire Council this week.

The LSO said: “It is pleasing to note that the number of fire related casualties has reduced by more than 90 per cent - but we absolutely refuse to be complacent.

“Our firefighters stand on the very front line to protect the public and are therefore fully aware of the devastation caused by fires.

“We will therefore continue with our relentless prevention strategy
to ensure as far as possible that they do not occur in the first
place.”

He added: “There has been a slight rise in accidental house fires and our intelligence highlights that they are caused mainly by cooking and distraction.

“We would encourage everyone to take up our offer of a free home fire safety visit from our firefighters to ensure that they and their families stay safe.”

The figures also show that The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service carried out a total 466 safety visits - with almost a quarter at the homes of those deemed to be a high risk, fitting 269 battery smoke detectors.

Deliberate fire setting rose by 75 per cent from last year, from 144 to 252 – with the vast majority or 94 per cent involving rubbish and refuse but mainly grassland.

Those fires, “called secondary fires”, accounted for one in every three emergency calls to the SFRS.

The LSO said: “We work closely with schools and local community partners to highlight the very real danger of deliberate fire setting.

“Our experience shows that education is a vital weapon in our prevention armoury.

“But we have a very strong zero tolerance approach towards those who repeatedly carry out this criminal act because it not only impacts on our resources but puts our entire community at risk.

“We will, at every available opportunity, actively work to identify those individuals and pass that intelligence to our police partners.”

The number of Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals – or UFAS - increased from 111 last year to 149, or by 10 per cent.

And 44 per cent were false alarms while 35 per cent were caused by human error.

The LSO said: “We attend every alarm call because we can never be certain of the circumstances until we actually visit the premises ourselves.

“We never want to assume that there is no fire.

“Where there is no emergency and the alarm has been activated either through a technological glitch or by human error then we will actively work with duty holders to resolve the issue.”

To register for a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit call the SFRS Freephone number: 0800 0731 999, or visit the website at www.firescotland.gov.uk