I found the words in Building’s leader (27 August, page 3) and the article on timber frame fire risk (page 9) incredible

I am sure it is no shock to any of us that timber buildings burn far more readily than masonry buildings. In the article, insurers call for an urgent probe into timber frame fire risk. It states that out of 34,783 dwelling fires in the UK only 359 were timber frame: 1% of the total. This means nothing unless we relate the percentage of timber frame dwellings to the total in the UK which will be far smaller than 1%.

Melvyn Parrott, chairman, VE Parrott