1,200 fires in purpose-built flats with no smoke alarms present

The findings come from Drax Technology, a UK provider of fire and life safety compliance software, which analysed incident data reported by Fire and Rescue Services across England. The dataset covers purpose-built flats of all sizes between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations (England), landlords must install at least one smoke alarm on each storey that has a room used as living accommodation and must ensure they are in working order on the first day of a tenancy. They must also keep a record of those tests.  

The vast majority of the fires were recorded as accidental and were caused by the ‘misuse of equipment or appliances’ with cookers, fridges and toasters among the noted sources. 

Each fire is classified by whether smoke alarms were present and how well they worked. ‘Alarm Absent’ indicates the worst-case situation, where no smoke alarms were installed. This term refers to the flat where the fire occurred, not the whole building. The data showed 1,225 fires were recorded within this category. 

Of these, 651 were recorded in London, the city devastated by the Grenfell disaster in 2017 with 78 fires in high-rise flats alone. Meanwhile, nine affected flats were within buildings noted to have cladding across Avon, Essex, Greater London and Hampshire. 

Drax Technology said the data should serve as a serious warning to those responsible for residential buildings, stressing the need for properly installed and consistently maintained fire alarm systems.

David Simpson, Group Product Director at Drax Technology, said: “These findings should prompt immediate action from anyone responsible for residents’ safety, whether in Build to Rent schemes, social housing, or private developments.

“Alarms save lives and operating without one is incredibly dangerous. All of these fires occurred in an occupied home so we’re talking about vulnerable people including families and pensioners at risk.”

Across England, a total of 5,581 fires were recorded with ‘no alarm present’ in all property types. 

Simpson added: “Keeping an up-to-date digital record of a building’s fire-safety systems is critical to preventing risks. There’s no place for guesswork. Relying on outdated tools or unclear responsibilities erodes system resilience and leaves lives exposed. Effective safety management depends on real-time visibility at all times.

“With modern monitoring, resilient systems, and live alerts, building managers can track alarm performance across all their buildings every single day. Issues are spotted and resolved faster, false alarms are reduced, and compliance becomes easier to maintain. Above all, residents can be confident that their alarms will work when they need them most.”