A second blitz, in which crews fitted smoke alarms and encouraged residents to ditch dangerous chip pans, took place between September and December last year.

Dubbed Operation Early Warning, it targeted properties at a greater risk of fire and followed a successful first run between December 2006 and March 2007.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service carried out 2,266 free home fire safety checks, fitted 2,018 smoke detectors and issued 131 free deep fat fryers in return for chip pans.

Home fire safety checks include giving occupiers advice on how to prevent fires in the home and how to develop a fire escape plan should a fire break out.

Kevin Hepple, area manager for community safety, said: "This latest blitz has been a great success and will help make people safer in their homes.

"We've already attended fires where smoke alarms we've fitted have helped occupants walk away from the fire unharmed.

"However, this isn't always the case. Fire has devastating consequences.

"It kills and injures people and costs thousands of pounds worth of damage.

"Most fires are preventable and people need to take active responsibility to prevent them from happening to them.

"We can help, but it is important people help themselves too. They can do this by carrying out regular checks.

"When it comes to things like check-ups, we usually think of our health or our car, but it's important for people to consider fire safety checks in their home.

"Something as simple as fitting a smoke alarm could help save your life and reduce the amount of fire damage caused."

Tyne and Wear has the best rate in the country for fires which have been detected by a smoke alarm.

Carelessly discarded cigarettes are the biggest cause of fire deaths in the home, as a tragic incident in South Shields in October demonstrated.
Newlyweds Kaye and Maurice Tooley lost their lives in a fire at their flat in Wharton Street, Westoe, after cigarette waste was left burning overnight.

Seventy per cent of house fires happen in the kitchen through the misuse of equipment, for example, leaving pans on the hob, toasters, microwaves, grill fires and chip pans account for almost half of all fires in the home.