Government's fire complacency

An increase in the number of fires in the UK shows that the government is "astonishingly complacent", and that fire service cuts under the cloak of "modernisation" could make matters worse, according to the FBU firefighters' union.

The latest statistics show a rise in UK fire-related deaths, with 30 more people dying as a result of fires than in the previous 12 months. The total number of fires in the UK leapt by 14%, to break the 600,000 barrier for the first time.