Fatalities from house fires in Cork a reminder of the importance of prevention measures

Three deaths occurred in Cork last year due to fire incidents in homes, according to statistics released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Nationally, there were 25 fatalities in 2024 from fire incidents in homes, with 21 of those 25 deaths involving people aged 55 or over.

The figures were compiled by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, and used data shared by council fire services.

Speaking to The Echo, Victor Shine, second officer at Cork City Fire Brigade, said that the publication of the data is a reminder to everyone of the need for vigilance and the importance of fire prevention and safety measures.

“All we would say is put in your detection system for early detections of carbon monoxide or smoke, so that people are aware if there is something going down,” he said.

“The smoke detector and carbon monoxide programme is very popular. So, if we go to houses that don’t have smoke detectors, we will issue a little bit of education and quite often will give a detector or two to the house, if they are not there already.”

In terms of preventing fires from starting, Mr Shine said: “Caution around devices in the home. Plugging any EV vehicles inside a property, there is a potential risk to that. Plug out and make safe any electrical appliances you can.

“Eliminate the risk as much as possible. [Have] an appropriate early warning system that is functioning.”

Within homes, fires caused by electrical wiring and electrical equipment, cooking, and heating all featured as causes of fires in 2024.

Keith Leonard, national director for fire and emergency management, added: “We run a media campaign throughout the year to raise awareness of fire safety.

“Our core message is to fit a working smoke alarm and test it weekly, have your chimney cleaned, and have an escape plan for your household should a fire break out.”