Fire deaths increase - smoking in bed most common cause
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The number of fatalities in fires has continued to grow. According to figures collected by the Ministry of the Interior, at least 87 people have died in fires so far this year.
This is an increase of ten fatalities from the same period last year.
According to statistics collected by the Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK), there had been 76 fire deaths by the beginning of October this year. SPEK's figure for the same time last year was 68, and for 2002 it was 55.
SPEK's 2003 figure from the whole year was 96 fire fatalities, and for the Interior Ministry it was 105.
The discrepancy between the two sets of figures was attributed to the different means of gathering the information. However, they are both indicative of a similar, worrying trend.
According to SPEK, whose data was gathered from information in newspaper articles, this year's fire deaths involved 55 men and 19 women. Most of those killed in fires were men over the age of 40, and most of the deaths took place in private houses and other small buildings.
The most common cause of fatal fires tends to be smoking in bed or while lying on a sofa. In many cases the situation has been aggravated by heavy use of alcohol.
Fatal fires have also been deliberately lit, or have started from faulty electrical equipment. SPEK is especially concerned that people do not take sufficient care that their smoke detectors are in working order.
According to fire officials, only one in five households do the recommended monthly checks to see if their smoke alarm is working properly. The smoke alarms should be placed on the ceiling, at least half a metre from any wall or corner. It is recommended that detectors be placed in every bedroom, and along the escape route.
Kai Valonen, an investigator at the Finnish Accident Investigation Centre, headed a working group that published a report last summer on the causes of fire deaths in Finland.
The working group noted that deaths by fire occur more frequently in Finland than in other Western countries in Europe, and that the situation is not likely to improve.
In nearly every fire investigated by the working group, a contributing factor in the deaths was the inability, or the unwillingness, of the victim to leave a burning building fast enough.
However, the surge in fire deaths is such a recent phenomenon that Valonen does not want to make any far-reaching conclusions.
He also says that the sharp decline in the price of alcohol may have something to do with the trend.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 25.10.2004 - TODAY |
 Fire deaths increase - smoking in bed most common cause |
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