12 Apr 2012
Last year a total of 835 house fires in Scotland had drug or alcohol impairment as a contributing factor.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) is urging people to be aware of the increased risks of an accidental fire when drinking. In 2011, a total of 11 people died from such incidents, and 248 were injured.
A few classes of wine or beer is all it takes to significantly increase the risk of an accidental fire that could potentially be life threatening. The CFOA wants homeowners to be more vigilant, especially with the summer months round the corner.
The Fire Statistics Scotland 2010-11 report revealed that out of the 835 house fires involving drugs or alcohol, 411 of them occurred in the Strathclyde area.
There was a total of 6,336 fires in the country last year. As a result, 40 people died and around 1,100 were injured.
Testing smoke alarms, stubbing out cigarettes properly and not cooking whilst under the influence of alcohol are all cited on the CFOA’s checklist for people to follow in order to prevent house fires.
Copyright Press Association 2012