U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 1, Issue 14

March 2001 (Rev. December 2001)

Dormitory Fires

FINDINGS

S Dollar loss and fatalities per dormitory fire are one-third of the national

average.

S Dormitory fires occur most often when school is in session.

S 33% of dormitory fires are the result of arson, which is more than twice

that of arson fires in residential structures.

S Most injuries (56%) from dormitory fires are incurred while the victim

attempts to suppress the blaze.

S Smoke alarms operated in 79% of dormitory fires, twice the number as

in residences. Alarms were present in 93% of dormitory fires.

Each year in the United States. there are an estimated 1,300 fires in high school, private and prep school, and university dormitories. These fires are responsible for less than

5 deaths, and approximately 50 injuries and $4.1 million in property loss annually.

1 This

topical report examines the characteristics of fires coded in the National Fire Incident

Reporting System (NFIRS) occurring in dormitories.

LOSS MEASURES

Figure 1 compares the loss measures for all residential structure fires and those in

dormitories. Dormitory fires tend to cause significantly less damage and slightly fewer

injuries than general residential structure fires. No dormitory fatalities were recorded in

NFIRS from 1996 to 1998.

Figure 1. Loss Measures for Dormitory Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

ALL RESIDENTIAL

MEASURE FIRES DORMITORY FIRES

Dollar Loss/Fire $3,045

Injuries/1,000 Fires

Fatalities/1,000 Fires

$11,271

48.0

7.7

45.7

0
TIME OF YEAR

Most dormitory fires occur while schools are in session, between September and

May (Figure 2). Fire incidence declines significantly during breaks, evidenced by the low

percentage of fires occurring during the winter recess (December and January) and the

spring break (May).

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Figure 2. Incidence of Dormitory Fires by Month

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Jan

FebMar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Adjusted Percent
CAUSE

Figure 3 shows the leading causes of dormitory fires. One-third of dormitory fires

are reported as arson (incendiary/suspicious). This is two and a half times greater than

the incidence of arson in all residential structures. Cooking, the leading cause of residential fires, is the second leading cause in dormitories (21%). Smoking is the third leading

cause of dormitory fires (14%), more than twice the incidence as that in all residential

fires. Open flame fires are also higher in dormitories, perhaps due to the popularity of

using candles for decorative purposes among college students.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Incendiary/Suspicious

Cooking

Smoking

Open Flame

Electrical Distribution

Appliances

Dormitory Fires

All Residential Structures

Figure 3. Causes of Dormitory Fires vs. All Residential

Structure Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent

MATERIALS IGNITED

Paper is the leading material ignited (32%) in dormitory fires. This may be related to

the incidence of smoking fires, as smoldering cigarettes might be tossed into a trash can.

Other materials that ignite in dormitory fires are fabrics (11%), food/starch (10%), and

fat/grease (9%).
INJURIES

Figure 4 illustrates the leading activities of dormitory fire victims at the time they

are injured. Victims in dormitory fires are more likely to be involved in fire control

(56%) than victims generally in residential structures (37%).

Figure 4. Activity at Time of Injury for Dormitory Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

ACTIVITY AT

TIME OF INJURY

PERCENT OF

CASUALTIES

(DORMITORY FIRES)

PERCENT OF CASUALTIES

(ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURES)

37

19

25

Fire Control

Sleeping

Escaping

56

24

16

Figure 5 shows the leading dormitory locations of fire victims at the time the fire is

ignited. Not surprisingly, victims tend to be in the same room as the fire. Because of the

nature of dormitory living, where communal space is often at a minimum, students likely

spend significant time in their rooms. Given the high incidence of smoking fires, it is

interesting to note that dormitory fire victims are significantly less likely to be intimately

involved with the material ignited (e.g., their bedding, furniture, clothing).

PERCENT OF INJURIES

(ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURES)

In Room

In Building

On Same Floor

Intimate

52

22

17

4

Figure 5. Dormitory Location Where Injuries Occur

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

LOCATION OF

INJURY

PERCENT OF INJURIES

(DORMITORY FIRES)

27

26

24

15
SMOKE ALARM PERFORMANCE

Smoke alarms operated in 79% of dormitory fires, twice the rate as in residential

structures (Figure 6). Furthermore, alarms were not present in only 7% of dormitory fires

versus 39% in residences. Smoke alarms are required by law in dormitories, and their

maintenance is the institution’s responsibility. This is why it is more likely that an alarm

is present and that it is functional (e.g., fresh batteries).

PERCENT IN

DORMITORY

ALARM PERFORMANCE FIRES

In Room, Operated 62

Not in Room, Operated 17

In Room, Did Not Operate 7

Not in Room, Did Not Operate 4

Fire Too Small To Activate 4

No Alarms Present 7

EXAMPLES

Figure 6. Smoke Alarm Performance in Dormitory Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

PERCENT IN

ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURES

22

16

7

11

4

39

The following are a few examples of dormitory fires.

S In October 1998, a student was killed in his dorm room after a suspected hazing

incident. Seven students were charged with multiple charges, including capital murder, assault, arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and complicity to commit murder.

2

S In January 2000, three students were killed in a fire that began in a sofa in one of

the dorm’s common spaces. Nearly 60 other students were injured, five critically, in

the early morning fire. Many students initially disregarded the fire alarms because of

frequent false alarms in the dorm.3

S In April 2000, a student was killed in a fire in her dorm room. Her death was

ruled a suicide after authorities concluded she had set her clothing on fire.

4

CONCLUSIONS

In the wake of a fire at Seton Hall University in January 2000, members of the fire

service and various legislative bodies have lobbied for more stringent fire protection regulations for dormitories. In particular, many would like to see laws requiring sprinklers in

all dormitories, with older buildings required to be retrofit with sprinkler systems over

the next several years.

For further information about dormitory fires and their prevention, contact the USFA

or your local fire department.
-

NOTES

1. National estimates are based on 1996-1998 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System and

the National Fire Protection Association’s annual survey, “Fire Loss in the United States,” NFPA Journal. Because dormitory deaths are rare and because these are 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.

2. “Campus Feels Relief After 7 Are Charged in Fatal Dorm Fire,” The Associated Press, October 30,

1998.

3. Mbugua, Martin, “Pain Grips Seton Hall U; Students Try To Cope in Wake of Fatal Fire,” The New

York Daily News, January 21, 2000.

4. “Shin Death Is Ruled a Suicide,” MIT News Office, May 31, 2000.

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