Queensland has averaged more than 140 house fires a month since June and the death count for 2011 is the one of the worst on record, according to government statistics.
The Department of Community Safety (DCS) says there have been more than 1650 house fires this year and more than 980 since June 1.
While the number of residential structural fires is well down on the previous three years, the death count has soared.
The statistics, supplied by the DCS, attribute 21 deaths to residential structural fires between January 1 and December 15 this year.
But there have been six publicised house fire fatalities since, including the death of Kenji Suda at Runcorn on Tuesday.
His wife, Sakura, remains in Royal Brisbane Hospital with serious burns to her legs, arms and hands.
Celebrity chef Matt Golinski is fighting for his life after a fire at his Sunshine Coast home claimed the lives of his wife and three daughters early on Monday morning.
Mr Golinski remains in a critical but stable condition in Royal Brisbane Hospital’s intensive care unit, a hospital spokesman told AAP on Thursday.
There was also a unit fire at Toowoomba which claimed the life of a 43-year-old man on December 21.
Last night a woman was charged with arson following a unit fire in the bayside suburb of Wynnum at 5.30pm (AEST) on Wednesday and foul play is suspected to be behind a fire that destroyed a house at Tara, in southern Queensland on the same day.
Queensland suffered its worst-ever house fire in August when 11 family members died in a blaze at Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane.
In the wake of the Slacks Creek tragedy, Emergency Services minister Neil Roberts announced a $600,000 smoke alarm awareness campaign.
The October campaign was to prompt the 10 per cent of properties without an alarm to install one, and to promote superior photoelectric alarms.
It was in addition to a twice-yearly campaign for householders to change their smoke alarm batteries.
Under laws introduced more than a decade ago, it is compulsory for every home to have at least one smoke alarm.
Any house built after 1997 must have hard-wired smoke alarms.
Yet the use of smoke detectors in Queensland has decreased, according to the Australian Productivity Commission’s 2011 report.
In 2009/10 just 89.2 per cent of Queensland homes had smoke alarms fitted, a slip from 90.1 per cent in 2008/09.
Mr Roberts said the government and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) could not stress enough the importance of fitted smoke alarms.
“In March and into April each year the fire service runs the `Don’t be an April Fool’ campaign which encourages people to check their smoke alarm batteries,” Mr Roberts told AAP.
“As part of its Winter Fire Safety campaign the QFRS also encourages members of the public to ensure they have a working smoke alarm fitted in their residence.
“I strongly urge all householders to ensure they have at least one working smoke alarm in their residence.”
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