Timber-frame homes are greater fire risk

Data published for the first time by the Communities and Local Government department shows fires in timber-framed properties appear to spread further than in other types of building.

The CLG last week released fire monitoring statistics for April 2009 to March 2010. Because of a new way of recording incidents, the annual data includes a special analysis on timber-framed buildings.

It found fires in timber-framed homes damaged a greater area than those in properties of a different construction.

Fires in 29 per cent of timber-framed homes spread 51m² to 100m² but only 21 per cent of fires spread the same distance in other types of homes.

‘Fires in timber frame dwellings not under construction were proportionally fewer in the lowest category included in the analysis (21–50m²) than for dwellings of no special construction,’ the fire monitoring statistics report notes.

‘The opposite is true for all categories of greater area of damage. The appropriate statistical test indicates that fires in timber-framed dwellings do tend to have a greater area of fire and heat damage than fires in dwellings of no special construction.’

There were 49 fires in timber-framed homes in total and 1,121 fires in properties of ‘no special construction’.

The fatality rates in timber-framed dwelling fires was the same as other types of homes, at  0.008 per fire .

Overall the number of deaths in England in accidental dwelling fires in 2009/10 was 210, one higher than in 2008/09. This was 30 per cent fewer than in the 10 years previous, with the figure being 301 in 1999/2000.

A report by the Fire and Rescue Service Practitioners’ and Business and Community Safety Forums last year raised concerns about the use of timber-frame building techniques in social housing.

Fire chiefs have also raised concerns about the safety of timber-frame homes when they are under construction. The CLG report does not draw specific conclusions on this, because the number of fires is too small.