More than 56,000 false fire alarm callouts were made to purpose-built flats in England last year – equivalent to around 153 emergency responses every day.
This is according to government data analysed by fire software provider Drax Technology.
The total of 56,105 in the year to March 2026 represents around a 4% increase on the previous year, up from 54,125.
The government figures cover incidents where fire and rescue services attended reports of a fire but found none on arrival.
On over 13,500 occasions in the last year, the alarms were triggered by burnt toast or other types of cooking and were by far the main reason for callouts. Other main causes were due to the alarm being needlessly or carelessly set-off, or due to steam.
But on 12,232 occasions, the alarm was found to be faulty, damaged, poorly maintained or incorrectly positioned.
On five separate occasions, more than 15 fire and rescue vehicles were mobilised, underlining the scale of resources that can be tied-up responding to false alarms.
Drax Technology says this highlights a wider issue – that property teams need to discern the false alarms from the genuine emergencies.
A spokesperson says: “If it’s a genuine emergency, teams need confidence that critical life safety systems, such as fire doors and smoke control systems, are operating as they should.
“Every alarm generates valuable data. Capturing that information within a single digital platform helps property managers understand why alarms occur, identify recurring faults and target maintenance more effectively.
“Over time, that insight helps reduce repeat incidents and improve fire safety across entire portfolios.”
Nationally in England, fire and rescue services attended 255,047 false fire alarms across all property types in the year ending March 2026, meaning incidents purpose-built flats accounted for around 22%, one in five, of all false alarms.
There is no standard national charge for fire services attending false fire alarms.
However, some fire and rescue services apply cost-recovery charges of up to around £417 per call-out, typically from the fourth false alarm onwards, and only in specific circumstances, such as at non-domestic premises (e.g. commercial buildings).