1 in 5 Homes Breaking Fire Safety Codes
An inspection by the Rescue Board in March found 169 violations from 854 visits, or roughly a fifth, ranging from lacking working smoke detectors to faults in heating and electrical systems.
The biggest worry for the board are homes heated by wood stoves and a lack of or non-functioning smoke detectors, which were found in 15 percent of homes.
This year alone 21 people have lost their lives in fires, all in homes without smoke detectors. That figure for the whole of last year was slightly less than 50, the lowest ever recorded.