How often do house fires happen these days?

[wanderings]

I'd like to think house fires are rarer than they used to be; not as many people smoke indoors as used to, and safety standards regarding electricity and furniture (all those "flame retardant" labels we have to remember not to cut off) are increasing all the time.

Does anyone in insurance or fire know what causes house fires mostly nowadays? Is it candles, smoking, electrics, cooking? I'm just curious, and it's something I used to worry about a lot as a child.

You can access UK fire stats online from the Home Office. House fires are down, mainly due to increased coverage of smoke alarms and less smoking. However, there is a massive scam in operation regarding flame retardants, the manufacturers of which are very keen for their products to be stuffed into everything in your home. They are well aware of decreasing house fires and therefore go to extreme lengths to keep up the level of FRs in the home. Most firefighters, for example, are well aware of the poisonous fumes given off when flame retardants burn. Unfortunately, their union leaders and ex fire chiefs work closely with, and are often funded by, the FR industry. Insurers, in turn, work with fire protection associations who are also closely allied to the FR industry. All of which feeds the lie that FRs equal fire safety.

An example of how powerful the industry is happened in 2014, when the government wanted to change the flammability laws for house furniture. It had developed new tests which were actually fire-safer, would save furniture manufacturers money, and would hugely reduce flame retardant use. The FR industry got its tame (and bribed) MPs to lobby behind the scenes, blackmailed furniture manufacturers and activated its bought fire chiefs to make sure it got kicked into touch. It wouldn't be so bad if their products worked but the government proved they don't in most cases!