Southwark with a total of six incidents registered was one of the highest for alcohol-related fires in London last year, writes Euan Dawtrey…
The borough with the highest rate of alcohol-related fires in 2021 was Newham, with eight. Croydon and Lambeth also ranked highly with six fires apiece.
Brent, Richmond and Merton all registered zero alcohol-related fires, while Westminster and Barnet also came in with low numbers with both boroughs registering only two alcohol-based fires.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) for fire safety, Paul Jennings, said that the figures only represent the fires where alcohol is the known cause, and that “the real number could be much higher.”
London Fire Brigade has issued a warning regarding the risk of alcohol in relation to an increase in fires. This came after a spike in alcohol-related incidents in the last month of 2021, with the Fire Brigade attending thirteen alcohol-related fires in December. This number rose from nine incidents in November, and only six in October.
Paul Jennings warned: “Take extra care when cooking if you’ve been drinking – or better still, avoid the kitchen altogether – and if you smoke when you’ve had a drink make sure you follow our advice on disposing of cigarettes safely.”