Number of serious fire injuries drops by 50%

The number of severe fire injuries has halved over the last 30 years, said the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).

The fall in the number of cases of serious fire injuries has been attributed to the improved fire safety measures, reported the local media.

Urbanisation has also contributed to the decline in the number of such cases since there still are greater risks of fire injuries in the rural areas.

The study examined over 36,000 registered cases of fire injuries in the 1980-2010 period. According to the record, up to 70 per cent of those hospitalised due to severe fire injuries were either men or boys. One-year old boys face the greatest risk of fire injury.

According to the study, the period of hospitalisation due to severe fire injuries has fallen from seven to five days.