Care home fires in Camden up 62 per cent

Camden’s care homes have seen a spike in fires in the past year, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB).

The annual update from the LFB’s borough commander reported 13 fires in retirement homes over the last 12 months, marking a 62.5 per cent increase from 2024.

This leaves Camden in fifth place out of 32 London boroughs for incidents of this kind.

Data provided by the fire service shows that there were 39 casualties from fires in Camden during the same period – with two deaths and 37 injuries.

There were 133 fires in flats compared to 19 in houses, the report added.

The LFB also found that across all London boroughs, Camden now has the highest number of people who went under trains in the past year, with seven recorded incidents since the last report – a rise of 133 per cent.

Road traffic collisions also rose by 25 per cent from 2023/24, with 75 incidents recorded in total.

However, the annual report also brought positive changes, including a fall in fire casualties overall.

Last year, Camden was ranked third out of all London boroughs for injuries and fatalities caused by fires, but now the borough sits in seventh place.

Since 2024, the number of deliberate and accidental fires have dropped, with the former falling by more than 25 per cent.

There were 38 recorded arsonist fires, and 126 ‘accidental dwelling fires’.

The main causes of the latter were cookers, electrics or ‘other ignition sources’.

The LFB identified 34 residential high-rise buildings in the borough with inadequate safety features, particularly those with ‘simultaneous evacuation strategies’.

This is where, in the event of a fire, all occupants are supposed to leave the block at the same time and head to an assembly point.

To address this, “response crews and prevention staff will continue to visit high-rise premises, in particular those buildings with a simultaneous evacuation strategy”, the report stated.

It added that 300 of these visits had already taken place.

As part of its risk management efforts, the LFB also plans to run fire cadets from its Euston Road station to engage with young people.

The brigade will also be visiting “the most vulnerable residents” in their homes to offer advice on reducing fire risks.

The annual update will be presented to the Town Hall’s Housing and Fire Safety Advisory Panel next Wednesday (23 April).