Occurrence and Consequences

• On average in the United States in 2005, someone died in a fire about every 2 hours (143 minutes), and someone was injured every 29 minutes (Karter 2006).

•   Four out of five U.S. fire deaths in 2005 occurred in homes (Karter 2006).

• In 2005, fire departments responded to 396,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 3,030 people (not including firefighters) and injured another 13,825, not including firefighters (Karter 2006).

•  Most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns (Hall 2001). 

•  Smoking is the leading cause of fire-related deaths (Ahrens 2003).

• Cooking is the primary cause of residential fires (Ahrens 2003).  

Costs

• In 2005, residential fires caused nearly $7 billion in property damage (Karter 2006).

• Fire and burn injuries represent 1% of the incidence of injuries and 2% of the total costs of injuries, or $7.5 billion each year (Finkelstein et al. 2006).
  
   
  • Males account for $4.8 billion (64%) of the total costs of fire/burn injuries.
  
   
  • Females account for $2.7 billion (36%) of the total costs of fire/burn injuries.
  
   
  • Fatal fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, representing 2% of the total costs of all fatal injuries.
    
     
  • Hospitalized fire and burn injuries total $1 billion, or 1% of the total cost of all hospitalized injuries.
    
     
  • Non-hospitalized fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, or 2% of the total cost of all non-hospitalized injuries.

Groups at Risk

Groups at increased risk of fire-related injuries and deaths include:

• Children 4 and under (CDC 1998);
   
• Older Adults ages 65 and older (CDC 1998);
   
• African Americans and Native Americans (CDC 1998);  
   
• The poorest Americans (Istre 2001);  
   
• Persons living in rural areas (Ahrens 2003);
   
• Persons living in manufactured homes or substandard housing (Runyan 1992; Parker 1993).

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Risk Factors  

• Approximately half of home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms (Ahrens 2004).
    
• Most residential fires occur during the winter months (CDC 1998).
    
• Alcohol use contributes to an estimated 40% of residential fire deaths (Smith 1999).

  Residential Fires

  U.S. Residential Fire Loss: 1996-2005

  The residential fire problem represented approximately 83 percent of all fire deaths and 77 percent of the injuries to civilians in 2005. Between 1996 and 2005, an average of 3,237 civilians lost their lives and another 15,978 were injured annually as the result of residential structure fires.

  Residential structures include one- and two-family dwellings (including manufactured homes), apartments, hotels, motels, college dormitories, boarding houses, etc.

  The following table shows the number of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss that occurred in residential structures from 1996 to 2005.

  Residential Structures

  Year	Fires	Deaths	Injuries	Direct Dollar Loss In Millions
  1996	428,000	4,080	19,300	$4,962
  1997	406,500	3,390	17,775	$4,585
  1998	381,500	3,250	17,175	$4,391
  1999	383,000	2,920	16,425	$5,092
  2000	379,500	3,445	17,400	$5,674
  2001	396,500	3,140	15,575	$5,643
  2002	401,000	2,695	14,050	$6,055
  2003	402,000	3,165	14,075	$6,074
  2004	410,500	3,225	14,175	$5,948
  2005	396,000	3,055	13,825	$6,875

  Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. During 2005 Abridged Report.