House fire hotspots are revealed

FIGURES REVEA LING house f ire hotspots across Tayside and Fife were revealed yesterday.

New statistics from the Scottish Government revealed Dundee tops the list in Courier Country, with more than 70 fires in each of the city’s three most populated postcode areas last year.

Perth had the second highest rate with 50 to 59 fires, while towns in West Fife postcode KY4, such as Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly, saw 15 to 19 blazes, and Kirkcaldy’s KY1 postcode suffered 30 to 39.

A ngus saw fewer numbers, with just 20 to 29 recorded for an area that includes A rbroath and Montrose, and the same amount for the large rural DD8 postcode.

Throughout Scotland there were 6,149 fires in homes, almost half of which had no working smoke alarm.

The total of all types of fires attended in Tayside was 2,201 and in Fife the figure was 1,657, leading to a combined nine fatalities.

Launching the nation’s annual fire safety campaign in Edinburgh, Holyrood Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said smoking and drinking was to blame for a “considerable number” of emergencies.

She said: “While the number of house fires in Scotland is at its lowest in a decade, this map shows no region of Scotland is untouched by the dangers of fire, and underlines the importance of keeping your family safe from the risks. A s we approach December, we want everybody to enjoy the festivities this and every year in a way which is safe from the dangers of fire.”

Smoking materials and matches were the primary cause for more than one in 12 accidental house fires, with alcohol and/or drugs suspected in at least a sixth.

Tayside and Fife firefighters attended almost 6,700 false alarms last year, 289 of which were malicious.