FIGURES released by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service show High Wycombe as having the second highest number of house fires in the county with 49 last year.

Milton Keynes came top with 81 in 2000 but the service is still optimistic after national figures show a drop of 11 per cent in house fires since 1995. The service is set to take part in a national campaign to stop cooking accidents in the home.

The brigade attended 463 accidental house fires last year with statistics showing that almost half were started in the kitchen with chip pans and other overheated pans.