Fire hazard warning from home insurance company

Many British householders run the risk of having to make a home insurance claim because they were not adequately prepared for a fire in their house, new research suggests.

A Halifax Home Insurance study reveals that more that 5.2 million Britons have no fire safety devices in their homes.

This is despite the fact that some 58,000 home fires occur every year, with 11,500 resulting injuries, the home insurance company found.

In addition to the absence of alarms, fire blankets or extinguishers in their houses, many Britons were found to be rather clueless about fire safety.

Over 1.4 million responded to the home insurance company's survey by saying they would attempt putting out an electrical fire with water – risking electrocution.

It is worrying that so many householders still do not have the basic fire safety devices in their homes, comments Vicky Emmott, the senior underwriting manager at Halifax Home Insurance.

She adds that it is vital that adequate safety precautions are taken against fire hazards.

The home insurance company also found that a fifth of householders in the north-west have no fire safety devices installed in their homes, compared to the south-east and East Anglia, where nine in ten homes have these fitted.