Diaries, heirlooms and photo albums go up in smoke each year

Safety campaigners were flagging up the findings in a bid to raise awareness of the personal destruction of fire in the home.

Some 87% of Scots said they would be more devastated to lose unique and irreplaceable personal effects, such as letters or children's mementoes rather than televisions, CDs or designer clothing that can be replaced.

Only 1% of women would want to save their collection of clothes compared with 24% who would choose not to lose a much loved photo album.

The research was carried out as part of the Scottish Executive's Don't Give Fire a Home campaign.

Professor David Alexander of Aberdeen University, who is the head of the Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research, said: "Loss is very much in the eye of the beholder, and that 'loss' often transcends the monetary value of the items involved.

House fires can be caused by seemingly innocent household items - from night candles to tumble driers - so everybody needs to be more vigilant in order to ensure their cherished mementoes don't go up in flames Stephen McKee Strathclyde Fire Brigade

"That is precisely why family memorabilia can have a token monetary value but has an inestimable psychological value."

Stephen McKee of Strathclyde Fire Brigade, a spokesperson for the Scottish Executive campaign, said: "Money can't buy everything.

"Families all too regularly lose priceless and irreplaceable possessions in house fires that could easily have been avoided.

"We want people to look more closely at the fire safety of their homes, in order to avoid such tragedies and loss.

"House fires can be caused by seemingly innocent household items - from night candles to tumble driers - so everybody needs to be more vigilant in order to ensure their cherished mementoes don't go up in flames."

Prize on offer

As part of the campaign, members of the public are being invited to e-mail details of their most prized possession or curious collection to scottishexecutive@consol.co.uk to win a fire hazard house inspection, courtesy of the fire brigade.

The campaign is backed by the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Fire Services and is supported by a national advertising campaign.

Scotland has the highest number of fire fatalities per capita in the UK.

Although there is a 40% greater likelihood of being a victim of house fire than a victim of burglary, three out of four Scots do not think it will happen to them.