THE number of Dorset house fires during the end of last year fell by 18 per cent compared to 2010, the latest figures show.

Firefighters responded to 109 house fires between October and December, 2011, compared to 124 during the same period in 2010.

These figures, contained in Dorset Fire Authority’s quarterly performance monitoring report and scrutinised by fire authority members on Wednesday, showed almost a thirdof household blazes were caused by faulty electrical appliances.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service has already launched a new Safety and Fire Education unit (SaFEu) in a bid to drive the message home.

County fire chief Darran Gunter said: “Electrical equipment is an inescapable part of all our lives, from essentials like heating and lights to luxuries like entertainment systems or beauty.

“We need to be able to make the communities of Dorset aware of some of the incidents these day-to-day items can cause and our new vehicle will allow us to have a much more visible presence in our communities.”

The converted fire engine, that used to be based at Swanage, will show the public the dangers of electrical fires.

The brigade attended 220 accidental electrical fires in homes across Dorset in 2011.

Between October and December, 2011, no-one died in Dorset as a result of a house fire, and only five people needed hospital treatment following accidental or deliberate dwelling fires.

These figures were both lower compared to the same period in 2010.

A report to members, who convened at county fire headquarters, Poundbury, Dorchester, read: “The accidental dwelling fires that were attended continue to share common ignition types with previous winter quarters.

“Electrical heating equipment, lighting and supply account for more than 30 per cent of incidents attended, while cooking related incidents accounted for exactly 50 per cent.”