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Electrical Fires: The UK’s Leading Preventable Fire Cause
Electrical faults are the single most significant identifiable cause of both domestic and workplace fires in the UK. Every year, thousands of homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed by fires that originated in electrical installations, faulty appliances, overloaded circuits, or misused electrical equipment — the vast majority of which could have been prevented through proper maintenance, inspection, and testing.
This guide brings together the latest UK electrical fire statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Electrical Safety First, the Fire Industry Association, and other authoritative sources — providing the reference point for electricians, safety professionals, insurers, and property managers who need current, accurate data.
For the broader context of electrical accidents in the UK, see our Electrical Accident Statistics UK guide.
Key Facts & Figures (Overview)
- Electrical hazards account for 53.4% of all accidental dwelling fires in England — more than any other cause.
- Over 20,000 accidental fires in UK homes are caused by electricity every year.
- 71% of electrical fires in UK homes are started by appliances.
- In 2024/25, fire and rescue services attended more than 142,000 fires across England — a 2.5% rise on the previous year.
- Fire-related deaths across England are now 12% higher than five years ago.
- 6,665 workplace fires were recorded in non-residential buildings in 2024/25.
- Electrical distribution faults were the largest single identifiable cause of workplace fires at approximately 18% of incidents — equivalent to 2,126 fires.
- Over a three-year period, more than 4,000 business fires were attributed to electrical faults.
- There were 1,140 accidental electrical fires involving white goods in England in 2024 alone — approximately three every day.
- UK businesses make fire property insurance claims of around £940 million annually — with actual total losses exceeding £1 billion when uninsured losses are included.
- The average financial loss per major fire incident between 2009 and 2019 was £657,074.
- The total economic and social cost of fire in England is estimated at £12 billion per year.
- The UK has seen a 29% reduction in workplace fires over the past decade — but thousands of businesses are still affected every year.
- Education premises recorded 417 fires in 2024/25, with electrical faults a significant contributing cause.
Domestic Electrical Fires
The most comprehensive data on electrical fires comes from the Home Office Domestic Appliance Fires dataset and Electrical Safety First’s analysis:
The scale: Over 20,000 accidental fires in UK homes are caused by electrical faults or electrical misuse every year. This figure encompasses fires from faulty appliances, overloaded circuits, damaged wiring, and misuse of electrical equipment.
As a proportion of all fires: Electrical hazards account for 53.4% of all accidental dwelling fires in England — making electricity far and away the dominant cause of accidental home fires.
The causes within the electrical category:
- Misuse of equipment or appliances: 46.5% of electrical dwelling fires (and 66% of all domestic fires in the past two years)
- Faulty appliances and leads: 25.9% of electrical dwelling fires (23% in recent data)
- Faulty fuel supply: 15.2%
- Articles placed too close to heat: 9%
Appliances most frequently involved:
- Cookers and ovens: 45% of domestic appliance fires
- Grills and toasters: 13%
- Hot plates: 10%
- Microwave ovens: 8%
- White goods (washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers): 1,140 fires in England in 2024 — approximately three per day
Where fires start: In residential buildings, 58% of electrical fires start in the kitchen — reflecting the concentration of high-risk appliances in cooking areas.
Fatal outcomes: Electrical fires are responsible for approximately 11 fatalities and 321 injuries per year specifically attributable to electrical fire causes. Defective appliances in properties cause approximately 397 injuries and 15 fatalities annually.
Workplace Electrical Fires
The MHCLG’s detailed analysis of workplace fire statistics for 2024/25 provides the most current data on commercial and industrial electrical fires:
Total workplace fires: 6,665 fires in non-residential buildings in 2024/25 — a reduction of 29% over the past decade from 9,347 in 2015/16.
Electrical faults as the leading cause: Within the fires where an ignition source was identified, electrical distribution faults were the single largest category — responsible for approximately 18% of all workplace fires, or 2,126 incidents. These fires involve fuse boxes, circuit breakers, wiring systems, and distribution boards, and characteristically start within walls or ceiling voids before being detected.
Sector breakdown of workplace fires in 2024/25:
- Industrial premises: approximately 25% (1,666 fires)
- Food and drink premises: approximately 19% (1,263 fires)
- Retail premises: approximately 18% (1,200 fires)
- Hospitality: 7.6% (505 fires)
- Entertainment, culture and sport: 6.7% (445 fires)
- Hospitals and medical care: 6.5% (433 fires)
- Education premises: 6.3% (417 fires)
- Offices and call centres: 5.2% (348 fires)
- Agricultural premises: 6.1% (409 fires)
Fatalities: 12 fatalities were recorded in non-residential building fires in 2024/25.
Three-year electrical business fire data: Over a three-year reporting period, more than 4,000 business fires were attributed to electrical faults — reflecting the sustained contribution of electrical failures to the commercial fire burden.
White Goods: A Growing Concern
White goods — washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridge-freezers, and ovens — represent a significant and growing category of electrical fire risk:
- 1,140 accidental electrical fires involving white goods were recorded in England in 2024 — approximately three every day
- Tumble dryers and washing machines are among the most frequently recalled domestic appliances due to fire risk
- The MHCLG’s domestic appliance fire data consistently identifies white goods as significant contributors to dwelling fire incidents
- Product recalls for fire-risk appliances are managed by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), and the frequency of such recalls reflects the ongoing challenge of managing electrical fire risk in the consumer appliance market
The Underreporting Problem
The statistics above capture fires that were attended by fire and rescue services and subsequently recorded. They are likely to undercount the true number of electrical fires for several reasons:
- Minor fires extinguished without FRS attendance are not recorded in national statistics
- Fires where the electrical origin is not identified or recorded may be attributed to “unknown” causes — a category that accounts for nearly 50% of workplace fire incidents
- Smouldering fires that self-extinguish before causing visible damage may not be reported at all
The true number of electrical fire incidents — including minor incidents — is substantially higher than the official statistics capture.
Electrical Fire Statistics by Property Type
Dwellings: The largest single category of fire incidents, with electrical faults responsible for more than half of accidental cases. Kitchen appliances, white goods, and electrical wiring are the primary sources.
Offices: Electrical distribution faults account for approximately 32% of office fires. The concentration of computers, servers, charging equipment, extension leads, and kitchen appliances in office environments creates sustained electrical load on systems that may not be regularly inspected.
Retail: Electrical distribution faults account for approximately 28% of retail fires. Long trading hours mean sustained electrical load; back-of-house storage areas and loading bays with less oversight are common fire starting points.
Care homes: Cooking is the leading cause of care home fires (approximately 41% of incidents). Electrical faults are a secondary but significant cause. See our Care Home Electrical Safety Statistics UK guide.
Schools: Education premises recorded 417 fires in 2024/25. Between 1,400 and 1,800 fires occur in UK schools each year, with electrical faults among the principal causes. See our School Electrical Safety Statistics UK guide.
Long-Term Trends
The long-term trend in electrical fires shows substantial improvement over several decades — reflecting improvements in building standards, fire detection, and appliance safety regulation. However, recent data shows this progress has stalled:
- UK workplace fires have fallen 29% over 10 years (2015/16 to 2024/25)
- Total fires attended in 2024/25 were 142,000 — up 2.5% on the previous year
- Fire-related deaths are now 12% higher than five years ago
- This reversal follows years of improvement and reflects, among other factors, the increasing electrical load in UK buildings from electric vehicles, heat pumps, home office equipment, and the proliferation of battery-powered devices
Prevention: The Role of Inspection and Testing
The electrical fire statistics point directly to the value of regular inspection and testing of both fixed installations and portable appliances:
- Electrical distribution faults — responsible for 18% of workplace fires — are specifically addressed by EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) testing of fixed wiring
- Faulty appliances — responsible for approximately 25.9% of domestic electrical fires and a significant share of workplace fires — are specifically addressed by Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
- Overloaded circuits and extension leads — a persistent domestic and workplace hazard — are identified through both user inspection and formal testing programmes
For full data on PAT testing and its role in electrical fire prevention, see our Portable Appliance Testing Statistics UK guide. For the financial consequences of electrical fires for businesses, see our Cost of Electrical Fires to UK Businesses guide.
Written by Electrical Safety Experts
This guide was produced by the team at PAT Testing Course, a UK provider of City & Guilds and LCL Awards-accredited PAT testing training. Electrical fires are overwhelmingly preventable — the data above reflects the consequences of failures in inspection, testing, and maintenance that competent PAT testing and EICR programmes are designed to prevent. For sector-specific data see our guides to Workplace Electrical Safety Statistics UK, Landlord Electrical Safety Statistics UK, Office Electrical Safety Statistics UK, Care Home Electrical Safety Statistics UK, Construction Site Electrical Safety Statistics UK, and School Electrical Safety Statistics UK.
Sources & References
- MHCLG – Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics, Year Ending March 2025 – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-year-ending-march-2025
- MHCLG – Detailed Analysis of Fires, England, April 2024 to March 2025 – https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics
- Electrical Safety First – Statistics – https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/what-we-do/our-policies/westminster/statistics-england/
- Electrical Safety First – Electrical Fire Safety Week 2026 – https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/what-we-do/consumer-campaigns/online-campaigns/electrical-fire-safety-week-2026/
- Fire Industry Association – Fires and Their Economic Toll on UK Businesses – https://www.fia.uk.com/news/fires-and-their-economic-toll-on-uk-businesses.html
- Gov.UK – Economic and Social Cost of Fire – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-social-cost-of-fire
