Electrical Wiring Fires Jump 50% in a Year, New Figures Reveal

09 October 2026

Fires linked to electrical wiring rose by half in 2025, while Cork recorded the most fire deaths of any county

As National Fire Safety Week (October 12 to 18) begins, Cork Electrical has analysed the latest figures from the Department of Housing, revealing a sharp rise in fires linked to electrical wiring. Fire services recorded 167 fires caused by electrical wiring installations in 2025, up from 111 in 2024. That's an increase of 50% in a single year.

A 50% jump in a single year is a real wake-up call," says Jamie Griffin, Director of Cork Electrical. "Wiring sits behind walls and under floors, so people rarely think about it until something goes wrong. In older homes especially, it was never designed for the number of appliances families run today."

Ireland's Electrical Fire Hotspots

Of all counties that recorded the causes of fires, Cork had the most electrical fires in 2025, with 47. It also had the most wiring fires, with 26. Galway saw wiring fires triple, from six to 18, while Wicklow's rose fivefold, from three to 15.

County	Wiring Fires 2024	Wiring Fires 2025	All Electrical Fires 2025
Cork	26	26	47
Galway	6	18	43
Wicklow	3	15	33
Louth	8	9	23
Kerry	6	13	21
Kildare	11	8	20
Tipperary	12	9	18
Carlow	0	5	17
Donegal	4	3	17

2024/25 statistics; all electrical fires combine "electrical wiring installations" and "electrical equipment". Cork combines Cork City and Cork County Councils. Dublin City Council doesn't record causes of fire, and Limerick recorded all causes as unknown.

Fires caused by electrical equipment, such as appliances, also edged up, from 209 to 219. Together, wiring and equipment caused 386 fires in 2025, up 21% on the year before. That's more than double the 143 fires caused by smoking materials.

Where Fire Brigades Were Called Out

Fire brigades attended 21,794 fires in 2025, 12% more than in 2024. Chimney fires in houses fell by 12%, but other house fires rose by 11% to 2,459. Fires on forest, bog and grassland almost doubled.

Incident Type	2024	2025	Change
All fires attended	19,441	21,794	+12%
House fires (excluding chimney fires)	2,219	2,459	+11%
Chimney fires in houses	1,603	1,415	-12%
Forest, bog and grass fires	1,192	2,314	+94%
Agricultural building fires	144	251	+74%
Outdoor rubbish fires	6,021	6,778	+13%
Motor vehicle fires	2,086	2,204	+6%
False alarms	8,031	8,573	+7%

The fatality figures are just as concerning. Fire deaths rose from 25 in 2024 to 34 in 2025, an increase of 36%. Cork recorded five of these deaths, more than any other county, with three in Cork City and two in County Cork. Of the 34 deaths, 26 happened in houses.

Bedrooms were the most common place for fatal fires to start, linked to 10 deaths, followed by living rooms and kitchens with six each. A smoke alarm was confirmed present in only 14 of the 34 deaths and confirmed working in just 11. In seven cases, there was no smoke alarm at all.

Bedrooms are where people are most vulnerable, because you're asleep when a fire starts," says Jamie. "They're also where we find phones charging under pillows, heaters on extension leads and electric blankets well past their best. A mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarm means a fire in one room sets off every alarm in the house."

Know Your Room: The Electrical Fire Risks to Check

This year's Fire Safety Week theme is "Know your Room, Know the Risk, Know the Person". Here, Jamie shares the electrical hazards to look out for in each room.

Bedroom: Never charge phones or tablets under pillows or on the bed, where heat can't escape. Inspect electric blankets for scorch marks or worn wiring before winter.
Kitchen: Plug air fryers, kettles and toasters straight into a wall socket rather than an adaptor. Unplug small appliances once you're finished with them.
Living Room: Plug portable heaters directly into the wall, never into an extension lead, and keep them well away from curtains and sofas.
Hallway: Charge e-scooters and e-bikes outside where possible, and never where they block an escape route. Use only the supplied or an approved charger.
Every Room: Warm or discoloured sockets, buzzing switches, flickering lights and fuses that keep tripping are all warning signs. Have them checked by a registered electrician, as they can point to ageing wiring.

Fire Ireland advises fitting a smoke alarm in every room except the bathroom and garage, and the Department recommends testing alarms weekly. For homes without mains-powered alarms, a professional smoke detector installation means every alarm in the house can be interlinked. Older relatives deserve a check-in, too. Census 2022 found almost 34% of homes where the householder was aged 65 or over and living alone had no internet connection, so online safety campaigns may never reach them.

How the Data Was Gathered

Cork Electrical compared 2024 and 2025 figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. These covered causes of fires, locations of fires, fire brigade activities and fire fatality statistics, alongside the Department's 2025 press release. Cause figures cover all fires attended, not just homes, and only fires where a cause was recorded. Unknown causes rose from 5,479 to 6,984, so these figures are a partial picture.

Suspected causes of fatal fires are determined by fire services at the scene, not by forensic examination. Fire Safety Week details come from Fire Ireland, and internet access figures come from the CSO's Census 2022 Profile 2: Housing in Ireland.

About Cork Electrical

Cork Electrical serves homes and businesses throughout Cork, covering all types of property electrics, house rewiring, power shower installations and smoke detector installations. Its experienced team of Safe Electric registered electricians ensures compliance, safety and efficiency in every project.