Kitchen flare ups

• Almost ten thousand fires (9,643) are caused by kitchen appliances each year 
• Number of fires caused by ‘other’ cooking appliances including air fryers across England has risen by 30 per cent
• Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) were called out to 23,008 fires in English homes in the year ending March 2024, of which 54 per cent (12,492) were caused by domestic appliances
• Fires caused by chargers have doubled in the past four years

Analysis by Churchill home insurance on fires in home highlights the need for caution in the kitchen, as 77.2 per cent of domestic appliance fires tackled by the Fire Service in 2023 / 2024 were caused by kitchen equipment such as cookers, deep fat fryers, microwaves, toasters and air fryers¹. Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) were called out to 23,008 fires in English homes in the year ending March 2024, of which 54 per cent (12,492) were caused by domestic appliances.

Cooking appliances were the leading cause of domestic fires the data revealed, with 6,609 fires from cookers and ovens, 941 from grills and toasters, and 803 from microwaves. Oven and cooker fires alone also caused 958 casualties in 2023-2024.

There has also been an eight per cent increase in fires caused by deep fat fryers since 2019 and shockingly 55 fatalities or casualties caused by them in the year to March 2024. The Home Office also reported a staggering 30 per cent rise in fires caused by more modern popular appliances like air fryers, categorised under 'other cooking appliances’.

Washing machines and tumble dryers remain a leading cause of fires, with 1,047 or almost three every day on average. There’s also been a small rise in fires caused by washer dryers, which are up by six per cent since 2019.

Fires caused by some non-kitchen domestic appliances are also on the rise. The past year saw a 24 per cent increase in fires caused by electric blankets compared to four years ago – perhaps due to their renewed popularity during the cost-of-living crisis and the cold weather we’ve seen even in the summer months.

The number of fires caused by battery chargers has more than doubled (up by 103 per cent) compared to four years ago. 

Table One: Selected appliances that cause the most fires in homes in England

Source: Churchill home Insurance 2024

Despite the rise in incidents involving domestic appliances, it’s positive to see that overall fire-related incidents and casualties are falling in England. These have more than halved since 2000 and have decreased by 11 per cent in the last four years.

Sarah Khan, Head of Churchill Home Insurance, said: “Fire poses a devastating risk to both people’s homes and their safety.  While it is promising that we can see an overall decline in fires over time, the Fire Service are still tackling thousands of incidents every year.”

“We encourage our policyholders to regularly maintain some of the most used kitchen appliances, such as a washing machine and tumble dryer and potentially consider looking at professionally cleaning items such as an oven, to help reduce the risk of them catching fire. It is also important to consider what you leave plugged in and turned on, especially overnight.”

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Notes to Editors

1.      Home Office. Fire statistics data tables. GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables. Updated: 25 July, 2024. 

Churchill

Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line.

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