FOI Request 2231

Subject: Christmas Fires

Status: Complete

Date received: September 2025

Question Asked:

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information:

1. The total number of fire-related callouts attended by your service for each of the last five calendar years (broken down by year, and if available, by day/month).

2. The number of fires in the last five calendar years during December and January where the recorded cause was:

Christmas lights
Christmas decorations
Christmas trees
Cooking-related fires
Candles

3. For each of the above categories, where possible, please also provide the number of:

Accidents (non-injury incidents)
Injuries
Fatalities

4. The total number of callouts attended by your service for incidents involving fireworks, during December and first week of January over the last five years.

5. The number of fires in the last five calendar years during December and January where the event was:

Public firework display
Residential firework display

Our Response:

Please see our response to your Freedom of Information Request.

1. The total number of fire-related callouts attended by your service for each of the last five calendar years (broken down by year, and if available, by day/month).

Please see the below data for question 1. Due to the size of the data it has been split into three documents

foi_2231_q1_part_1.pdf

foi_2231_q1_part_2.pdf

foi_2231_q1_part_3.pdf

All incidents attended by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and recorded on our recording system as a “Fire” have been provided for the dates requested.

2. The number of fires in the last five calendar years during December and January where the recorded cause was:

Christmas lights
Christmas decorations
Christmas trees
Cooking-related fires
Candles

There is no specific main cause/ignition source category for ‘Christmas lights’ or ‘Christmas decorations’ on our recording system so this data cannot be provided. Therefore, only the following main cause/ignition sources have been provided - ‘Christmas trees’, ‘Cooking - Other Cooking’, ‘Cooking - Chip Pan/Deep Fat Fryer’ and ‘Candles’ for the dates requested.

Christmas trees:

Incident No	Time of Call	Incident Cat	Property Cat	Injuries	Fatalities	Fire Cause	Main Cause	Ignition Source
2012004945	18/12/2020 22:46	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Fault in equipment or appliance	Decoration/Celebration - Christmas trees

Candles:

Incident No	Time of Call	Incident Cat	Property Cat	Injuries	Fatalities	Fire Cause	Main Cause	Ignition Source
2012004918	18/12/2020 20:37	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2012007224	26/12/2020 20:03	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2012008667	31/12/2021 20:17	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2101003510	14/01/2021 01:29	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Other	Candles
2101004231	16/01/2021 11:22	Fire	Dwelling	0	1	Accidental	Careless handling - due to knocking over	Candles
210104757	18/01/2021 15:29	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2101006132	21/01/2021 06:56	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2101008647	29/01/2021 18:48	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Careless handling - due to knocking over	Candles
211206499	19/12/2021 01:43	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Careless handling - due to careless disposal	Candles
2112007986	23/12/2021 18:33	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2301002646	09/01/2023 22:48	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Careless handling - due to sleep or unconsciousness	Candles
2312007826	22/12/2023 15:06	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Negligent use of equipment or appliance (heat source)	Candles
2312010067	29/12/2023 18:50	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Negligent use of equipment or appliance (heat source)	Candles
2401003417	10/01/2024 21:48	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2401004099	12/01/2024 19:59	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Accumulation of flammable material	Candles
2412010140	28/12/2024 22:52	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Careless handling - due to sleep or unconsciousness	Candles
2501004692	11/01/2025 02:44	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles
2501004721	11/01/2025 07:38	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Combustible articles too close to heat source (or fire)	Candles

Cooking-related fires:

Incident No	Time of Call	Incident Cat	Property Cat	Injuries	Fatalities	Fire Cause	Main Cause	Ignition Source
2001000476	02/01/2020 18:36	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2001002487	09/01/2020 14:11	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2001005198	10/01/2020 17:12	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2001002794	18/01/2020 17:12	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2001005198	19/01/2020 13:44	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2001007230	25/01/2020 11:26	Fire	Other Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2001008029	28/01/2020 03:17	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Deep fat fryer
2001008995	31/01/2020 12:!4	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Other cooking appliance
2012000278	01/12/2020 19:50	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2012002257	09/12/2020 14:40	Fire	Other Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Deep fat fryer
2012002964	12/12/2020 00:01	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2012003363	13/12/2020 16:45	Fire	Other Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Other cooking appliance
2012003863	15/12/2020 10:46	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Deep fat fryer
2012004155	16/12/2020 09:49	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Matches
2012004331	16/12/2020 22:45	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2012004893	18/12/2020 18:32	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2012006231	22/12/2020 23:58	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2012008105	29/12/2020 20:19	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2012008404	30/12/2020 20:03	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2012008718	31/12/2020 23:28	Fire	Other Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2101000060	01/01/2021 03:03	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2101000901	04/01/2021 12:23	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Ring/hot plate (separate appliance)
2101002149	08/01/2021 20:10	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2101004275	16/01/2021 15:19	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2101006723	22/01/2021 16:42	Fire	Dwelling	0	1	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2101009027	31/01/2021 14:03	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Grill/Toaster
2112004241	12/12/2021 13:21	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2112004512	13/12/2021 12:22	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Other cooking appliance
2112005032	14/12/2021 20:18	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2112008482	25/12/2021 12:40	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201000187	01/01/2022 11:52	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201002059	07/01/2022 20:26	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201002476	09/01/2022 14:25	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other c0ooking	Grill/Toaster
2201005128	17/01/2022 15:25	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2201006772	21/01/2022 21:10	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201006831	22/01/2022 00:07	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201007088	22/01/2022 19:15	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2201007359	23/01/2022 18:28	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201008214	25/01/2022 23:54	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2201008789	27/01/2022 19:58	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2212002070	06/12/2022 21:05	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Deep fat fryer
2212004193	12/12/2022 18:09	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2212009961	25/12/2022 14:45:07	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Grill/Toaster
2212011006	29/12/2022 10:11	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2301000673	03/01/2023 15:52	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2301000758	03/01/2023 21:11	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2301002601	09/01/2023 18:10	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2301006439	21/01/2023 17:13	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2301007238	24/01/2023 11:56	Fire	Non Residential	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Kiln, oven furnace
2312000390	02/12/2023 02:22	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Deep fat fryer
2312000586	02/12/2023 15:02	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2312004697	13/12/2023 11:37	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Grill/Toaster
2312005393	15/12/2023 10:35	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2312008811	25/12/2023 15:52:06	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2401006901	20/01/2024 19:12	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2401009479	27/01/2024 15:37	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Microwave oven
2412002756	08/12/2024 13:13	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2412002865	08/12/2024 17:22	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2412003824	11/12/2024 05:03	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2412004926	13/12/2024 20:44	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2412005542	15/12/2024 18:20	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Grill/Toaster
2412005551	15/12/2024 19:07	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Grill/Toaster
2412006578	18/12/2024 11:46	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Not Known
2412009096	25/12/2024 18:29	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501002830	06/01/2025 10:47	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501004289	09/01/2025 23:25	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2501006070	14/01/2025 17:57	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501007814	19/01/2025 15:46	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501007843	19/01/2025 17:41	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501008446	21/01/2025 15:44	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven
2501009981	24/01/2025 22:15	Fire	Dwelling	1	0	Accidental	Cooking - chip pan/deep fat fryer	Cooker incl. oven
2501010649	26/01/2025 21:29	Fire	Dwelling	0	0	Accidental	Cooking - other cooking	Cooker incl. oven

3. For each of the above categories, where possible, please also provide the number of:

Accidents (non-injury incidents)
Injuries
Fatalities

There is no specific definition of ‘Accidents (non-injury incidents)’ on the recording system so this data cannot be provided. The number of injuries and fatalities at each incident in Question 2 have been provided.

4. The total number of callouts attended by your service for incidents involving fireworks, during December and first week of January over the last five years.

All incidents attended by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and recorded on the recording system as a “Fire” with an ignition source of ‘Fireworks’ have been provided for the dates requested.

Incident No	Time of Call	Incident Cat	Property Cat	Cause	Main Cause	Ignition Source
2001000626	02/01/2020 20:44	Fire	Dwelling	Deliberate - others property	Other	Fireworks
2112010481	31/12/2021 23:33	Fire	Dwelling	Accidental	Playing with fire (or heat source)	Fireworks

5. The number of fires in the last five calendar years during December and January where the event was:

Public firework display
Residential firework display

This information is not held.

Outcome: Information Provided

FOI responded to within timescales: YES

Further action: NO

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Last updated: Monday, 26 January 2026