New analysis of fire service data highlights persistent electrical fire risk

A new analysis of publicly available fire service incident records has examined patterns in electrical and appliance-related fires across the West Midlands between 2020 and 2024.

Based on incident data published by West Midlands Fire Service, the analysis shows that electrical and appliance-related fires have remained persistently present over the five-year period, accounting for an average of 15.5% of all recorded fire incidents, with no sustained downward trend emerging.

The report focuses on fires only, excluding road vehicle incidents and false alarms, and presents year-by-year trends alongside district-level breakdowns covering Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Solihull. Injury and fatality outcomes are included for context, with methodology notes and exclusions set out to support accurate interpretation.

Cooking appliances were identified as the largest ignition category within the dataset. However, due to the way incident records classify cooking-related fires, this category may include both electric and non-electric appliances. When cooking-related incidents are considered separately, a substantial proportion of fires remain associated with non-cooking electrical equipment, including wiring, cabling, plugs and fixed electrical infrastructure.

The analysis also notes that a specific incident flag for lithium-ion battery involvement was introduced partway through 2024. Early data suggests a higher injury rate associated with lithium-ion battery fires relative to their frequency, though the limited timeframe means these figures should be treated as an emerging risk indicator rather than a long-term trend.

The full report, including tables, charts and detailed methodology, is published at:

https://gettesting.co.uk/reports/electrical-appliance-fires-across-the-west-midlands/

This analysis was prepared for publication using official fire service incident records.

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Press contact:
Charlie McCluskey
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GetTesting is a UK-based company providing electrical safety training and related services. In addition to its commercial activities, it publishes data-led analysis based on publicly available fire service incident records to examine trends, patterns and areas of persistent risk.

This release was published on openPR.