Alcohol a main cause of house fires in Scotland

Brian Sweeney, Chief Officer of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, has urged people in Scotland to take more responsibility for their consumption of alcohol, which is linked to the key “three main reasons” for fire in the home.

In a hard-hitting message to journalists about the spate of domestic fires over the Festive Season which left five people dead and 68 people injured in Strathclyde, Mr Sweeney said: “The last 10 days have seen deaths and injuries in house fires in Scotland that have been worse than in the last 10 years.”

Mr Sweeney told a press conference on the recent ‘spike’ in house fires that the three key causes of domestic fires were smoking, cooking and heating. He continued: “There are also three key reasons (for house fires). Number 1: alcohol, Number 2: alcohol, and Number 3: alcohol.”

Mr Sweeney continued: “Scotland needs to redefine its relationship with alcohol. We believe the Scottish Government will introduce this year the Alcohol (Scotland) Bill. But the individual needs to take responsibility.

“People in Scotland and communities across Scotland are simply drinking too much and when we are drinking and under the influence of alcohol, our ability to simply go about our business in this seasonal period is diminished.”

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, SFR’s Director of Community Safety, said that close working with partner agencies including local authorities was resulting in ‘very specific’ identification of people particularly at risk of fire in the home.

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue was piloting case studies of every house fire and this policy would hopefully be rolled out across Scotland. The cause of each fire would be investigated and steps taken to avoid a repetition.