THE number of people injured by fire across South Ayrshire has dropped by almost half.

But Ayrshire fire chief James Scott has vowed that his firefighters will still press ahead with relentless prevention efforts. 

Latest figures show that the number of fire-related casualties decreased to seven between April 1 and July 31 this year from a total of 12 over the same period last year.

The majority of those casualties were injured as a result of accidental house fires. However, most did not need to be rescued by firefighters with the most serious injuries down to smoke inhalation. There were no deaths over the latest period.

The statistics were revealed by the local senior officer for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at a South Ayrshire Council meeting on Tuesday, September 13.

The figures also showed that accidental house fires have decreased by 26 per cent compared to 35 last year.

Some 54 per cent of fires were caused by cooking with 85 per cent put out by smothering or removal. And 73 per cent of those properties were fitted with a smoke detector.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Scott said: “It is pleasing to note that the number of fire related casualties has reduced by almost half – but complacency is not in our vocabulary.

“Our firefighters stand on the very front line to protect the public and are therefore fully aware of the devastation caused by fires and the injuries they can inflict.

“We will therefore continue with our relentless prevention strategy to ensure as far as possible that they do not occur in the first place and that our communities are kept safe from harm.”