THERE has been a sharp rise in the number of fire-related deaths in Devon and Somerset over the past 12 months – despite a fall in the total number of incidents which the fire service has attended.

The past year has seen the number of fire-related deaths across the two counties rise by 150 per cent, according to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

The same period has also seen a rise in the number of fire-related incidents and the number of false alarms which firefighters have attended.

But the overall number of incidents to which firefighters have responded has fallen, in part thanks to closer working with the ambulance service.

A report on the fire service’s performance came before its audit and performance review committee in Clyst St George on Friday morning (July 19).

In the calendar year 2018, the fire service attended a total of 17,814 incidents across Devon and Somerset – a five per cent drop on the previous year, and against national trends.

The number of fire incidents it attended rose in that period by seven per cent – the equivalent of 300 separate incidents – which is higher than the national average of a five per cent rise.

Non-fire incidents (such as a road traffic collision) fell by 15 per cent – compared to a two per cent fall nationally – due to fire crews “co-responding” with the South West Ambulance Service (i.e. one rather than both services attending).

The number of fire-related deaths in Devon and Somerset rose from four in 2017 to ten in 2018 – going against the national trends of a fall in deaths from or related to fires.

Of these ten, seven have had the cause of death ascertained by the relevant coroner; four occurred as a result of dwelling fires, one from a private garage, one from a vehicle and one from an open fire in grassland.

Of the remaining three deaths, two resulted from a traffic collision and one came from a dwelling fire which was started deliberately.

In addition, 118 people required hospital treatment in 2018 as a result of incidents attended by the fire service – the same number as in 2017.

There were nearly 5,800 false alarms across Devon and Somerset in 2018 (nearly 16 a day), a rise of two per cent.

Alice Murray, the authority’s strategic analyst, said in her written report that the counties’ popularity with tourists resulted in higher incident rates than other parts of the UK, with “significantly higher numbers being recorded during the summer months”.

Councillor Mark Healey, who chairs the committee, said it was not helpful to present the changes in incident levels as percentages, due to the small numbers involved in some cases.

He said: “It can only take one incident to cause the percentage to go all over the place.”