FOI release
Fire Causes by Property Type
Case reference FOI2025/01153
Received 16 October 2025
Published 19 November 2025
Request
I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information on accidental primary fires attended between 1 August 2020 and 31 August 2025, classified by Property Type using the most detailed IRS categories or equivalent local systems. This data is routinely recorded and is reasonably held. Fields requested (counts per Property Type): 1. Source of Ignition (IRS: "What was the source of ignition?") 2. Item First Ignited (IRS: "What item/material was damaged first?") 3. Item Responsible for Spread (IRS: "What item, if any, was mainly responsible for the spread?") 4. Cause of Ignition (IRS: "What was the cause of the fire?") 5. Location of Origin (IRS: "What type of room/compartment did the fire start in?") Data preferences: * Preferably split by month and year; otherwise, aggregated totals for the full period are acceptable. * Incident counts only, ideally in machine-readable format (CSV/XLSX or equivalent). If this is not possible, please provide the most usable format and indicate the format provided. * Include full text and IRS codes; if IRS codes are not used, provide equivalent local classifications. Clearly indicate missing fields or periods. Cost Limit / Section 12: If the full request exceeds the statutory cost limit, please prioritise provision of the data according to the numbered fields above. If any requested data is not held or only partially available, please provide what is held and clearly indicate missing fields or periods. Thank you for your assistance.
Response
Please see the attached spreadsheet with the number of accidental primary fires between 1 August 2020 to 31 August 2025 classified by property type.
We have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. For more information about this process please see the guidance we publish about making a request on our website: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/about-us/transparency/request-information-from-us
Documents
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