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Home --> InfoZone --> USFA --> Fact Sheet
United States Fire Administration
Facts on Fire
Fire in the United States
- The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world.
- About 5,000 people die every year in this country as the result of fire, and another
25,500 are injured.
- About 100 firefighters are killed annually in duty-related incidents.
- Each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
- Fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home; at least 80 percent of
all fire deaths occur in residences.
- More than 2 million fires are reported each year. Many others go unreported, causing
additional injuries and property loss.
- Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $9.4 billion annually.
Causes of Fires and Fire Deaths
- Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of
fire injuries. Cooking fires often result from unattended cooking and human error, rather
than mechanical failure of stoves or ovens.
- Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths. Smoke detectors and
smolder-resistant bedding and upholstered furniture are significant fire deterrents.
- Heating is the second leading cause of residential fires and ties with arson as the
second leading cause of fire deaths. However, heating fires are a larger problem in single
family homes than in apartments. Unlike apartments, the heating systems in single family
homes are often not professionally maintained.
- Arson is the third leading cause of residential fires and a leading cause of residential
fire deaths. In commercial properties, arson is the major cause of deaths, injuries, and
dollar loss.
Who is most at risk
- Senior citizens and children under the age of five have the greatest risk of fire death.
- The fire death risk among seniors is more than double the average population.
- The fire death risk for children under age five is nearly double the risk of the average
population.
- Children under the age of ten accounted for an estimated 20 percent of all fire deaths
in 1995.
- Over 30 percent of the fires that kill young children are started by children playing
with fire.
- Men die or are injured in fires twice as often as women.
What Saves Lives
- A working smoke alarm dramatically increases a person’s chance of surviving a fire.
- Approximately 90 percent of U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm. However, these
alarms are not always properly maintained and as a result might not work in an emergency.
There has been a disturbing increase over the last ten years in the number of fires that
occur in homes with non-functioning alarms.
- It is estimated that over 40 percent of residential fires and three-fifths of
residential fatalities occur in homes with no smoke alarms.
- Residential sprinklers have become more cost effective for homes. Currently, few homes
are protected by them.
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