Warning for Cambridgeshire homes amid rise in house fires
Dozens of fires broke out from homes not fitted with a smoke alarm
Fire chiefs in Cambridgeshire are warning to get wise when it comes to keeping homes safe.
New figures show since 2023, electrical fires broke out in 39 homes in the county that weren't fitted with a smoke alarm.
While in the year to September 2025, there were more than 26,000 accidental house fires in England, a rise of 4.4%.
"If you are using a lot of electrical items within the household and you're not being sensible with turning everything off at night, that's where we tend to see the risk factors in people's properties," Hannah Archdeacon, station commander at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), said.
"If we can give one bit of advice to people, if you have a smoke detector that works in your property, it will give you that early indication if something was to happen to get yourself and your family out safely."
Electrical Safety First says 7% of people they surveyed admitted to never testing their smoke alarms, which could put homes and families at risk if a fire breaks out.
Last year, firefighters attended 10 fires in Cambridgeshire started by an electrical appliance in a kitchen such as a washing machine, washer dryer, tumble dryer and dishwasher.
The fire service said one family didn’t have smoke alarms and others had been running their appliances overnight or when they were not in the property.
"If they've never encountered a fire, if they've never been in that situation or known anybody in that situation, it's maybe just not on their remit (to test their smoke alarm)," Ms Archdeacon added.
"The strapline about smoke detectors is the fact that a working smoke detector will save lives and I've seen that time and time again in the 20 years I've been in the fire service.
“Having working smoke alarms in your property will alert you should a fire occur, so it is important to make sure you have these on every floor and test them at least once a month.”
Tips to stay safe
CFRS is reminding people how to keep themselves and their home safe:
• Only run kitchen appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers when you are at home, awake, and alert.
• Register your appliances with the manufacturer. This will help you to receive safety notices and recalls.
• Charge devices such as mobile phones when awake and alert. These chargers can overheat and cause fire when left plugged in over long periods or overnight.
• Make sure to keep electrical fuses, wiring and sockets well maintained and do not overload your plug sockets. If you have an electrical item that sometimes trips or has a damaged cable, get rid of it.
• Do not dispose lithium-ion batteries in your regular household recycling. Doing so can cause fires. Many local shops have a battery bank where you can dispose of them, and recycling centres can also take them.
• If you’re looking to buy an e-scooter or e-bike, to decrease the chances of buying a unsafe battery look for a CE mark and buy from a reputable manufacturer.
Government data shows that in England, there have been 1,804 deaths and 44,806 injuries from accidental dwelling fires over the last decade.
Scott Peden lost his partner and two children when an e-bike battery exploded in their Cambridge home in 2023:
“Fires don’t discriminate,” Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, said.
“Many people affected by fire often tell us they simply didn’t think something like this could happen to them, which is why it’s so important households take just a few seconds to test their smoke alarm.
"It’s also vital you consider if you have enough of them in your home."
You can use a free online safety tool that will alert you on how to make your home safe.