After decades of sustained reduction in fire fatalities, the trend has reversed. In the year ending March 2025, fire and rescue services in England recorded 271 fire-related deaths — up 8% on the previous year, up around 12% on five years ago, and one of the highest annual totals since 2017/18. This guide brings together the latest verified data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to explain who dies in fires, where and how — and why almost every one of those deaths was preventable.

Key facts and figures

  • 271 fire-related deaths in England in 2024/25 — an increase of about 8% year on year.
  • 78% of fatalities (199 deaths) occurred in dwelling fires.
  • 39% of those who died were aged 65 or over.
  • 93 deaths (34%) were caused by being overcome by gas or smoke — the single largest cause.
  • 174 men vs 95 women died — men die in fires at almost twice the rate.
  • 13.8 per million is the fatality rate for people aged 80 and over — the highest of any group.

Fire deaths in the UK: a rising toll

Fire and rescue services in England recorded 271 fire-related deaths in the year ending March 2025 — up 8% on the 251 recorded the previous year, and around 12% higher than five years earlier. For comparison, there were 264 deaths ten years prior (2014/15) and 243 in 2019/20. On the year ending June 2025 measure, the figure stands at 279.

This matters because the long-term direction of travel has been strongly downwards. At the early-1980s peak, over 1,000 people died in fires across the UK each year. Decades of progress brought that below 400 by the early 2010s. The recent uptick — reversing gains made since 2020 — is now drawing the attention of policymakers, fire services and businesses alike.

How the UK counts fire deaths

MHCLG defines a fire-related fatality as a death that would not have occurred had a fire not taken place. This includes deaths caused by fire, burns or smoke inhalation, as well as injuries sustained during evacuation. It excludes the aggravation of pre-existing conditions and deaths that occur more than 30 days after the incident.

Because many deaths are subject to a coroner's inquest — which can take months or even years — the published figures are provisional and subject to later revision. This is why headline totals for very recent periods may change over time.

Where people die in fires

Dwelling fires dominate the fatality statistics. In the year ending December 2024, dwelling fires accounted for 78% of all fire-related fatalities — 199 deaths. Several factors explain this: people spend most of their time at home, fires often develop during sleep before anyone is aware, and domestic environments contain multiple ignition sources close to sleeping areas.

By contrast, fatalities in non-residential (workplace and commercial) buildings remain comparatively low and stable — typically between 11 and 23 a year, with 12 deaths recorded in 2024/25. This reflects the effectiveness of detection, compartmentation and managed evacuation in commercial premises, much of which flows from the legal duties placed on employers.

Who dies in fires: demographics

Age is the strongest demographic predictor of fire death. The fatality rate for people aged 80 and over is 13.8 per million — the highest of any age group. Those aged 65–79 face a rate of 7.9 per million, the general adult population around 5–6 per million, and children aged 11–16 just 0.7 per million. Around 39% of all fire deaths are among people aged 65 and over. Contributing factors include reduced mobility, more time spent at home, medical conditions that affect awareness, higher smoking rates and living alone.

Sex is the other major factor. Men die in fires at almost twice the rate of women: in 2024/25 there were 174 male fire-related fatalities (5.9 per million) compared with 95 female fatalities (3.1 per million). The gap reflects differences in risk behaviours, including smoking, alcohol use and occupational exposure.

Measure (England, 2024/25 unless noted)Figure
Fire-related deaths (year ending March 2025)271
Previous year (2023/24)251
Deaths in dwelling fires (share)199 (78%)
Deaths in non-residential building fires12
Overcome by gas or smoke93 (34%)
Male vs female fatalities174 vs 95
Fatality rate, aged 80+13.8 per million

How people die: cause of death

Smoke and toxic gases are deadlier than fire itself. Being overcome by gas or smoke caused 93 deaths — 34% of all fire fatalities — making it the single largest cause of death. This is a crucial insight: it means early warning and rapid escape matter even more than fire suppression. A working smoke alarm and a clear evacuation plan save lives precisely because most victims are incapacitated by smoke before flames ever reach them.

The role of smoke alarms

The smoke-alarm picture is more complicated than the high ownership figures suggest. While 92% of households had a working smoke alarm according to the March 2024 English Housing Survey, alarms were absent in 24% of all dwelling fires and absent in 31% of dwelling fire fatalities — meaning the homes where people die are disproportionately those without working alarms.

Even where alarms are present, they do not always help: alarms functioned as intended in only 48% of dwelling fires, and in just 39% of fatal dwelling fires. Common failures include dead or missing batteries, deliberately disabled detectors, poor siting, and occupants who do not respond even when the alarm sounds. Fire services carried out 588,855 home fire safety visits in 2024/25 to address exactly these gaps.

Smoking materials: small numbers, lethal impact

Although smoking materials cause relatively few fires overall, they are linked to a disproportionate share of deaths. The highest-risk scenario is someone falling asleep while smoking — often at night or after drinking alcohol — with a cigarette igniting soft furnishings before anyone is alerted or able to escape. It is a small category of ignition that punches far above its weight in the fatality data.

The long-term trend

Set against four decades of data, the wider story is one of remarkable public-health success — now showing signs of reversal:

  • Early 1980s: over 1,000 fire deaths a year across the UK.
  • Early 2000s: consistently above 500.
  • 2011/12: below 400 for the first time.
  • 2020: 243 — the lowest figure in modern records.
  • 2024/25: 271 — reversing the downward trend.

The long-term decline was driven by widespread adoption of domestic smoke alarms, improved fire compartmentation, falling smoking prevalence, better building-material standards, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and sustained education and enforcement. The recent reversal is less well understood, but possible drivers include an ageing population, changing alcohol and drug consumption patterns, the rapid proliferation of lithium-ion batteries (e-bikes and e-scooters), and a possible erosion of fire-safety culture.

Fire deaths in context: prevention works

The central takeaway is sobering but hopeful: every one of the 271 people who died in fires in England in 2024/25 died in an incident that was potentially preventable. The long-term data proves that prevention works — rising smoke-alarm ownership correlates with falling deaths, stronger risk assessment and compliance reduce workplace deaths, and targeted fire-safety education in vulnerable households reduces domestic fatalities. For employers, the lesson is direct: competent, trained fire wardens and a robust fire risk assessment are among the most effective interventions available.

Sources & references

Make sure your workplace has trained fire wardens in place.

Explore the Fire Warden / Fire Marshal Course →
Mark McShane
Mark McShane
Fire Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about workplace fire safety, compliance and accredited training for Fire Marshal Training, part of Online CPD Academy.