U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 2, Issue 12

November 2001 (Rev. March 2002)

Fraternity and Sorority

House Fires

FINDINGS

S Fires in fraternity/sorority houses are five times more costly on average

than those that occur in dormitories.

S Arson is the leading cause of fraternity/sorority house fires; open flame

is the next leading cause, with candles playing a major role.

S Fires in fraternity/sorority houses peak when the college or university is

in session. Fires also peak on weekends.

S Smoke alarms operate nearly twice as often in fraternity/sorority house

fires than in all residential structures.

Sources: NFPA and NFIRS

Each year in the United States, there are an estimated 150 fires in fraternity and

sorority houses. From data reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System

(NFIRS), these fires are responsible for 10 civilian casualties and $2.1 million in property loss annually.

1

This report examines the characteristics of fires coded in NFIRS as specifically

occurring in fraternity or sorority houses. The data do not distinguish between fraternity

and sorority houses. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that fires are more common

in fraternity houses than in sorority houses.
Figure 1 compares the loss measures for all residential structure and dormitory fires

with those in fraternity and sorority houses. Fraternity/sorority house fires tend to cause

more damage and injuries than other fires in residential structures and in dormitories.

These fires are likely more damaging than dormitory fires because of regulations requiring dormitories to meet specific building codes (e.g., construction materials).

Figure 1. Loss Measures for Structure Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

FRATERNITY/

SORORITY

FIRES

ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURE FIRES

DORMITORY

LOSS MEASURE FIRES

Dollar Loss/Fire

Injuries/1,000 Fires

Fatalities/1,000 Fires

$11,271

48.0

7.7

$3,045

45.7

0

$15,808

85.9

02

Source: NFIRS only

CAUSES

The leading cause of fraternity and sorority house fires is arson (incendiary/suspicious), with open flame and cooking ranked second and third (Figure 2). In contrast,

cooking is the leading cause of general residential structure fires, followed by heating.

0 5 10 15 20 25

Incendiary/Suspicious

Open Flame

Cooking

Smoking

Electrical Distribution

Appliances

Heating

Other Heat

Other Equipment

Natural

Figure 2. Leading Causes

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted

Source Percent : NFIRS only

Arson fires in fraternity and sorority houses are particularly troubling, because they

occur at a higher rate than in all residential structures (21% vs. 14%).
WHEN FIRES START

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the incidence of fraternity/sorority house fires by month

and by day of week, respectively. As expected, there are fewer fires associated with

months that universities are not in full session (e.g., summer). Peak months for fires are

January, May, September, and October. Possible explanations for these peaks include

graduation parties and “rush” events at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.

Figure 3. Incidence of Fires by Month

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

0 2 8 10 12

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only

4 6

Figure 4. Incidence of Fires by Day of Week

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

0 4 8 12 16 20

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only
Fraternity/sorority house fires fluctuate throughout the week, but they tend to peak

on weekends and on Wednesdays. Weekends are times of increased social functions, and

Wednesday is sometimes considered a day for “mid-week” activities.

SOURCES OF IGNITION

Figure 5 lists the leading ignition sources for fraternity/sorority house fires. Gasfueled equipment is most often involved in cooking fires; electrical equipment is

involved in cooking and appliance fires. Candles play a predominant role in open flame

fires.

Figure 5. Leading Ignition

Sources

(3-year average, NFIRS data

1996–98, adjusted percentage)

PERCENT

AREA OF FIRE ORIGIN OF FIRES

Gas-Fueled Equipment

Candles

Cigarettes

Electrical Equipment

Source: NFIRS only

SMOKE ALARM PERFORMANCE

15

14

12

11

Smoke alarms are more likely to operate in fraternity/sorority house fires than in all

residential fires (Figure 6). This finding is related to the fact that the installation of

smoke alarms are usually required in fraternity and sorority houses. Also, responsibility

for the maintenance of these alarms most often rests with the educational institution

rather than with the homeowner or fraternity/sorority student body itself.

Source: NFIRS only

Figure 6. Smoke Alarm Performance

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98, adjusted percentage)

SMOKE ALARM

In Room, Operated

Not in Room, Operated

In Room, Did Not Operate

Not in Room, Did Not Operate

Fire Too Small To Activate

No Alarms Present

FRATERNITY/

SORORITY HOUSE

FIRES

58

13

7

9

4

10

ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURE FIRES

22

16

7

11

4

39
-

EXAMPLES3

S In March 2000, a fire in an off-campus fraternity house killed three students. In

October 1994, a fraternity house fire at the same university killed five students.

4

S In December 1999, a 19-year-old freshman was killed while he slept in in fraternity house room. A burning candle ignited his bedding. Smoke alarms and fire suppression systems in the house were not operational at the time of the fire.5

S In October 1993, a fire at a sorority house killed a 20-year-old sophomore and

injured two others. The house had smoke alarms, which operated properly.

6

S In October 2001, a fire ignited by a candle destroyed a fraternity house. Smoke

alarms in the house had been covered with plastic bags, which delayed the fire

departments response.7

CONCLUSION

In the wake of deadly fraternity and sorority house fires, many fire service and educational professionals have called for more stringent regulations requiring houses to have

smoke alarms and sprinkler systems.

For further information on fraternity and sorority house fires, contact your local fire

department or the USFA.

NOTES:

1. National estimates are based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

(1996-1998) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual survey, Fire Loss in the

United States.

2. Since deaths are rare and because this report represents statistical estimates based on a sample of fires,

it is possible that the estimates reflect no deaths during a time period where a fatal fire occurred.

3. Although NFIRS data show that fatalities from fraternity/sorority fires are rare, these fires garner the

most media attention. Thus, smaller fires that cause no casualties may not receive such attention.

4. “Fire Kills 3 in Off-Campus Fraternity at Bloomsburg U in PA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 20,

2000.

5. “Death Prompts Suit Against Mizzou Fraternity,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 5, 1999.

6. “Cause of Fatal Sorority House Fire Still Undetermined,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 26, 1993.

7. “Fire Destroys UMASS Fraternity House,” The Boston Globe, October 7, 2001.

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