London Fire Brigade has issued an appeal to all residents of the capital to focus on the fire safety of their home in the run-up to Christmas.

Firefighters have, sadly, attended nine fatal fires across the city in the last month alone (18^th November – 20^th December), which have resulted in a total of 15 people losing their life.

While there is no suggestion that the incidents were linked, the Brigade is urging people to take the opportunity to assess their homes for fire risks at a time when many are busy preparing for Christmas.

“One death in a fire is one too many, and 15 in a month is a tragedy for London,” said Deputy Commissioner Richard Mills. “We are asking Londoners to be vigilant, check that their homes are as safe as they can be, and check that vulnerable friends and family are protected too.”

The Brigade has an online home fire safety checker that guides Londoners around their homes, allowing them to self-assess any fire risks and get tailored advice on how to put them right. This can be accessed on our website, where there is also a range of other advice on smoke alarms, cooking safety and advice on the safe use of candles.

Richard Mills continued: “Fatal fires are the worst incident that any firefighter can attend and we would like to appeal to every Londoner to please take every step you can to help ensure that we do not have to visit your home this Christmas.”

Christmas safety checklist

• Keep candles away from Christmas trees, curtains, or anything else that could catch fire and don’t leave them burning unattended. Consider using LED tea lights instead.
• Check your Christmas tree lights conform with safety standards and always switch them off before going to bed.
• Don’t attach decorations to lights or heaters – they can overheat and catch fire.
• Make sure you have a fire escape plan and share this with everyone in your household and any guests staying over Christmas.
• Don’t leave cooking unattended and don’t cook if you’ve been drinking alcohol.
• Don’t overload plug sockets.
• Test your smoke alarms and make sure they are working. Fit a heat alarm in the kitchen – this will detect an increase in temperature caused by fire, but not be set off by cooking fumes.