Cooking appliances are a leading ignition source in accidental dwelling fires. The latest England figures record 9,928 such fires in 2025/26, 41.7% of all accidental dwelling fires. This page gathers the official UK cooking fire statistics in one referenced place: the accidental dwelling fire figures from MHCLG’s detailed fire analysis and fire statistics data tables for England (tables FIRE0601 and FIRE0602), the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s incident statistics, the Welsh Government’s fire and rescue figures, and the Home Office’s ad-hoc air-fryer data. The data period is stated next to every figure, so you can cite any number on this page with confidence. Because the three nations define and count fires slightly differently, the figures are presented per nation and never summed into a single “UK percentage”.
Key facts and figures
- 41.7% of England’s accidental dwelling fires were ignited by cooking appliances in 2025/26 — the largest specified ignition category.
- 56.8% of Scotland’s accidental dwelling fires involved cooking appliances in 2024/25, the latest published Scottish incident year at this audit date.
- 45% of Wales’s accidental dwelling fires involved cooking appliances in 2024/25. The 2025/26 bulletin defers ignition-source analysis to later tables.
- 9,928 cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires in England in 2025/26, out of 23,795 accidental dwelling fires in total.
- 37% fewer cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires in England than in 2010/11, when there were 15,761.
- 18 deaths and 1,731 non-fatal casualties in England’s cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires in 2025/26.
- 146 dwelling-fire reports mentioned “air fryer” in England in 2023/24. A mention does not establish that the appliance caused or was involved in the fire.
- 964 dwelling fires were recorded in England’s separate chip/fat-pan cause category in 2025/26.
Checked on 15 October 2026. England’s latest ignition-source tables cover 2025/26. Scotland’s next incident publication is scheduled for 30 October 2026. Wales published headline 2025/26 figures on 6 October but deferred cause and ignition-source analysis, so the cooking comparison retains its stated 2024/25 period.
What is the most common cause of house fires in the UK?
Cooking appliances were the largest specified ignition source in England’s accidental dwelling fires in 2025/26: 9,928 fires, or 41.7% of the 23,795 total. Source of ignition describes what provided the heat or flame; it is distinct from the recorded cause of a fire.
In Scotland’s latest published incident year, 2024/25, cooking appliances were the main source in 2,094 accidental dwelling fires, 56.8% of the total. They have been the largest source category throughout that Scottish series. Wales’s 2024/25 publication reports a 45% share of accidental dwelling fires.
These are separate national series with different release dates. Quote the geography, period and category with each figure. Adding percentages or calling England’s percentage a UK rate would be misleading.
How many house fires are caused by cooking each year?
England recorded 9,928 accidental dwelling fires involving cooking appliances in 2025/26. The revised 2024/25 figure is 10,071, a decrease of about 1.4%. Across all primary fires, including other buildings and outdoor locations, cooking appliances were the ignition source in 11,684 incidents.
The 9,928 accidental dwelling fires caused 18 deaths and 1,731 non-fatal casualties. The broader primary-fire category recorded 20 deaths and 1,929 non-fatal casualties. Non-fatal casualties include first aid and precautionary checks as well as hospital treatment.
Scotland recorded 2,094 cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires in 2024/25. Wales recorded 681 cooking-appliance accidental primary fires that year; that broader total includes premises other than dwellings, so it should not be compared directly with the English or Scottish dwelling counts.
Is it the appliances or the cooking that goes wrong?
MHCLG distinguishes the cause of a fire from its ignition source. A cooking appliance can be involved in a fire caused by misuse, a fault, nearby combustible material or another circumstance. Its presence does not by itself establish a product defect or careless behaviour.
Fire services advise supervising cooking, keeping combustible items clear of the hob and following appliance instructions. Faults also need attention. Our sister site covers electrical fire statistics, and our white goods statistics explain appliance categories and recalls.
Are chip pan fires still a problem?
The separate FIRE0601 chip/fat-pan cause category records 964 dwelling fires in England in 2025/26, compared with a revised 2,329 in 2010/11. This is a fall of about 59%. It should not be confused with the FIRE0602 deep-fat-fryer ignition category, which has a different definition.
Cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires also fell over that period, from 15,761 to 9,928. These counts do not measure the number of appliances or cooking hours, and do not prove why the decline occurred. If a pan catches fire, do not move it or pour water on it. Switch off the heat only if safe, leave and call 999.
Are air fryers a fire risk?
The Home Office’s ad-hoc Table A38 found the phrase “air fryer” in 23 dwelling-fire reports for 2021/22, 93 for 2022/23 and 146 for 2023/24. The table was last updated on 24 October 2024 and is a historical text search, not a current appliance-risk estimate.
The source warns that a mention may explicitly say the fire did not reach an air fryer. Some fire services did not supply additional text, and spelling and reporting practices affect coverage. The figures therefore do not establish how many fires air fryers caused, nor the risk per appliance.
Follow the manufacturer’s positioning, cleaning and ventilation instructions and do not leave cooking unattended. The text-search figures cannot establish whether air fryers are safer or more dangerous than other cooking methods.
Why do cooking fires cause so many injuries but relatively few deaths?
Within England’s accidental dwelling fires in 2025/26, cooking appliances accounted for 41.7% of incidents, 11.2% of deaths (18 of 161) and 40.1% of non-fatal casualties (1,731 of 4,314). All three percentages use the same incident category.
A share of deaths is not the probability that a fire will be fatal. Several people may be affected by one incident, and the tables do not isolate the effect of response, occupancy or exposure. The figures alone do not prove that cooking fires are discovered earlier or explain the difference from other ignition sources.
Wales’s 2024/25 report provides a longer-period comparison: cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires accounted for 12% of fatalities and 53% of non-fatal casualties from 2009/10 to 2024/25. That historical cumulative measure should retain its period and should not be presented as an annual UK rate.
Cooking fire statistics at a glance
The table below summarises the key UK cooking fire figures by nation, with the data period and direction of travel for each measure.
| Measure | Figure | Nation, period and trend |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking share of accidental dwelling fires | 41.7% | England, 2025/26 |
| Cooking share of accidental dwelling fires | 56.8% | Scotland, 2024/25; latest published incident year |
| Cooking share of accidental dwelling fires | 45% | Wales, 2024/25; later ignition analysis pending |
| Accidental dwelling fires, all sources | 23,795 | England, 2025/26 |
| Accidental dwelling fires, all sources | 3,687 | Scotland, 2024/25 |
| Cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires | 9,928 | England, 2025/26; 37% below 2010/11 |
| Chip/fat-pan cause: dwelling fires | 964 | England, 2025/26; revised 2,329 in 2010/11 |
| Dwelling-fire reports mentioning “air fryer” | 23 → 93 → 146 | England, 2021/22 to 2023/24; mentions, not causal counts |
| Cooking shares of accidental dwelling deaths / fires | 11.2% / 41.7% | England, 2025/26; different measures with same scope |
Do these figures cover the whole of the UK?
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish separate fire statistics. This page identifies the country and period of each count rather than constructing a UK estimate from unmatched releases.
The latest England cooking figures cover 2025/26; the Scottish incident report available on 15 October 2026 covers 2024/25. Wales’s 2025/26 bulletin states that cause and ignition-source tables will follow later in 2026, so its last published cooking comparison is retained with the 2024/25 date.
What about restaurant and commercial kitchen fires?
This page focuses on domestic cooking fires, with broader primary-fire counts identified separately — homes, hobs, chip pans, unattended cooking, air fryers and student or HMO kitchens. Commercial cooking is a different risk profile with its own duties: extraction ductwork, deep-fat fryers running for hours, gas interlocks, wet-chemical suppression and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applying in England and Wales, with separate fire-safety legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Restaurant, takeaway and commercial kitchen fire statistics stay in our sister site’s lane — see the Fire Marshal Training guidance for that setting rather than the household figures here.
How do you prevent a cooking fire?
Given that cooking is the number one cause of accidental house fires in every UK nation, and that most cooking fires come from misuse rather than faults, prevention is squarely about attention. The advice from UK fire and rescue services is consistent: never leave cooking unattended, and take pans off the heat if you have to leave the kitchen. Keep the hob and grill clear of tea towels, packaging, oven gloves and anything else that can catch; turn saucepan handles inward; and take extra care when tired or after drinking.
Do not tackle a chip or fat pan fire with water and never try to carry a burning pan outside. And because cooking fires can grow while your back is turned, the other half of prevention is early warning: suitable working alarms, with a heat alarm in the kitchen and smoke alarms in appropriate circulation spaces. Our companion page on smoke alarm statistics sets out the ownership and failure data, and if the worst happens our guides to the UK fire classes and how to use a fire extinguisher explain what is — and is not — safe to tackle. Cooking oil fires in particular need the right agent, covered on our fire extinguisher for cooking oil page.
For workplaces with kitchen or catering facilities — offices, care homes, schools, hospitality back-of-house — cooking risk belongs in the fire risk assessment, and staff fire awareness training is part of the control measures the Responsible Person must provide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common cause of house fires in the UK?
Cooking appliances are the largest specified ignition category in England’s accidental dwelling fires: 41.7% in 2025/26. The latest available Scottish and Welsh cooking comparisons cover 2024/25 and report 56.8% and 45% respectively.
How many house fires are caused by cooking each year?
England recorded 9,928 cooking-appliance accidental dwelling fires in 2025/26. Scotland recorded 2,094 in 2024/25. Wales’s 681 figure for 2024/25 covers all accidental primary cooking-appliance fires, a broader category.
Are air fryers a fire risk?
The official historical text search found 146 dwelling-fire reports mentioning an air fryer in 2023/24. The source explicitly warns that a mention does not establish involvement or cause. Follow manufacturer and fire-service safety advice.
Why do cooking fires cause so many injuries but relatively few deaths?
In England’s accidental dwelling fires in 2025/26, cooking accounted for 41.7% of fires, 11.2% of deaths and 40.1% of non-fatal casualties. The table describes the distribution of outcomes; it does not establish the reasons for those differences.
Are chip pan fires still common?
FIRE0601 records 964 chip/fat-pan dwelling fires in England in 2025/26, down from a revised 2,329 in 2010/11. Never move a burning pan or use water on burning oil; leave and call 999.
Where do UK cooking fire statistics come from?
MHCLG publishes England’s cause and ignition-source tables. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Welsh Government publish separate national data. Home Office Table A38 is a historical search of incident-report text, with important completeness and interpretation limits.
Related guides
- Smoke Alarm Statistics UK: Ownership, Failures & Lives Saved
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Statistics UK: Deaths, Incidents & Alarms
- Candle Fire Statistics UK: Fires, Deaths & Seasonal Trends
- White Goods Fire Statistics UK: Appliance Fires & Recalls
- Fire Extinguisher for Cooking Oil: The UK Guide
- How to Use a Fire Extinguisher: The PASS Method Explained
Sources & references
- MHCLG — FIRE0601 and FIRE0602, 2025/26
- MHCLG — England incident statistics, year ending March 2026
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — Current publications and release schedule
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — Incident statistics 2024/25
- Welsh Government — Cooking ignition statistics, 2024/25
- Welsh Government — 2025/26 publication and deferred cause analysis
- Home Office — Table A38, air-fryer mentions, 2015/16–2023/24
- London Fire Brigade — Cooking safety
Cooking is the No.1 cause of house fires — get every employee fire aware in around 90 minutes.
Explore the Fire Safety Awareness Training course →
Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety awareness and accredited online training for Fire Safety Awareness Training, part of Online CPD Academy.