The number of fires in Scotland have dropped by 20% over the last five years.

Figures show that the total number of blazes across the country have dropped from 48,584 in 2006 to 38,927 in 2011.

The biggest reduction came in Fife where the number of fires dropped by nearly 44%.

Grampian and Lothian and Borders both saw falls of 30% while Strathclyde saw a drop of 13% - around 3000 less than five years ago.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “These figures reflect extensive work that has been done across Scotland over several years to raise awareness of the risks of fire in the home.

"The Scottish Government and fire services continue to work hard educating people about the dangers of fire, and the most important message we can give is not to be complacent and always be on your guard.

"Our campaigns are raising awareness of the risks of fire, be it alcohol consumption, smoking, misuse of electrical appliances or the overloading of electrical sockets, but more can and will be done to encourage everyone to take fire safety seriously."

Fife Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Neil McFarlane said: “All personnel in the service have a ‘can do’ attitude to their work, their professionalism and commitment ensures the Service remains a highly credible resource in driving down risk, all staff have to be commended in their achievements and more importantly, in their contribution towards our aim of making our communities safe.

“The service remains confident that we are delivering a first-class service to the public that is equal to, if not better, than any other Fire and Rescue Service in Scotland.”

Not all areas saw large drops, however. In the Highlands and Islands there was a drop of just 1.5%.

The number of fires in the area has fluctuated in the last five years rising to a high of 1822 in 2009 and a low of 1744 in 2008. The only service which deals with less blazes than the Highlands service is Dumfries and Galloway where a drop of 23% was achieved.

A spokeswoman for Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue (HIFR) said: “The small reduction in operational incidents over the five year period is reflective of the fairly low number of incidents compared to other SFRS.

“We continually provide fire safety information and advice to members of the public through our website, community engagement and public information campaigns in the media. We deliver youth engagement educational programmes which aim to educate young people in our Service area in fire safety awareness.

“We also carry out a programme of home fire safety checks where fire and rescue service personnel visit people in their own home giving free fire safety information in how to prevent and reduce the risk of fires. During these visits, we also install free smoke detectors where required."

In March, Audit Scotland released a scathing report of HIFR, highlighting "poor leadership" and a "lack of effective management over a number of years".

The fire service is now the subject of an independent probe into the problems highlighted in the report.

Audit Scotland criticised the HIFR for continuing to pump money into rarely used fire stations and highlighted "inadequate training" for firefighters.