Smoke alarms missing from over a quarter of home fires

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur has today called on the SNP government to redouble efforts to ensure every Scottish home has a safe and appropriate smoke alarm system as new figures revealed that alarms were missing from over a quarter of homes affected by fires last year.

New figures from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service show that in 2024-25:

• There were 4,104 house fires.
• 1,081 (26.3%) of these were fires where smoke alarms were absent.

Under new legal regulations that came into effect on 1st February 2022, every home in Scotland is legally required to have an interlinked fire and smoke alarm system.

Liam McArthur said:  

“Smoke alarms save lives, so it is extremely worrying to see them absent from so many homes affected by fires.

“Ever since the Scottish Government made interlinked fire alarms a legal requirement, my party have consistently called for ministers to promote these changes and support people in installing the new systems. These figures, however, show that they simply haven’t done enough.

“In the past, concerns have been raised around the cost or difficulty of installing the latest systems. Ministers need to provide more help and advice, particularly to vulnerable households, as a matter of urgency."