U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 2, Issue 7

August 2001 (Rev. March 2002)

Church Fires

FINDINGS

S An average of 1,300 church fires are reported each year, causing $38

million in property loss.

S The leading cause of church fires is arson (25%).

S 30% of church fires are the result of mechanical failures. Faulty wiring

and improperly functioning heating systems are often at fault, perhaps

because they are in older structures and have not been brought up to

local fire codes.

S Of churches that reported fires, 65% had no smoke alarms and 96%

had no sprinkler system.

Sources: NFPA and NFIRS

Each year from 1996 to 1998, an average of 1,300 churches reported a fire. These

fires were responsible for an estimated $38 million in property loss, less than 5 civilian

deaths, and nearly 25 injuries annually.

1

In 1996, a wave of church arsons received attention at the federal level, and the

National Church Arson Task Force was formed by President Clinton. The Task Force

made the investigation of these fires a top priority of federal law enforcement. This topical report examines some of the causes and characteristics of church fires.

2
Church fires cause more property damage than other non-residential structure fires,

as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Loss Measures for Church Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

NON-RESIDENTIAL

MEASURE STRUCTURE FIRES CHURCH FIRES

Dollar Loss/Fire $21,878 $36,564

Injuries/1,000 Fires 22.1 15.7

Fatalities/1,000 Fires 1.7 0.6

Source: NFIRS only

CAUSE

One-quarter of all fires occurring in churches are reported as incendiary or suspicious fires (arson) (Figure 2). Often, the arsonist is never caught. Motives for arson vary.

The National Church Arson Task Force reports that some arsons are hate crimes.

3 Other

motives are not discovered until the prosecution of an arrested arsonist.

Figure 2. Leading Causes of Church Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Incendiary/Suspicious

Electrical Distribution

Open Flame

Heating

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only

None of the reported church arson fires were set during a civil disturbance. In 55%

of arson fires, a legal decision or physical evidence proved the fire was deliberately set.

In the remaining 45% of church arson fires, the circumstances of the fire strongly indicated that it was deliberately set (i.e., other accidental factors were carefully ruled out),

but no legal decision was reached.
Electrical distribution fires are the second leading cause of church fires at 18%.

These occurrence are often in older church structures where electrical wiring may be

fragile. Open flame and heating fires follow as other causes of church fires at 12% each.

DYNAMICS IN THE IGNITION OF CHURCH FIRES

Of those non-arson-related church fires, nearly 40% involve a mechanical failure/

malfunction. Sixty-five percent of mechanical failures are the result of electrical equipment short circuits or other electrical failures. Another 15% of mechanical failures result

from some sort of part failure (a break, leak, or general failure). Mechanical failures and

malfunctions are high in churches, perhaps due to older equipment and older, outdated

electrical wiring that may not be up to current fire codes.

Where specific equipment was ignited in a church fire, fixed wiring, lighting fixtures, and central heating units were involved in equal proportions at 12% each. This

explains the high incidence of faulty, possibly old, electrical wiring and improperly functioning heating equipment. This finding indicates the need for routine inspection and

maintenance, especially in bringing these systems up to current fire codes. Stoves

account for an additional 9% of equipment involved in church fires.

AREA OF FIRE ORIGIN

The largest percentage of church fires (18%) originates in structural areas of the

church (exterior walls and ceiling/roof assemblies) (Figure 3). One-quarter of these fires

are the result of electrical distribution; another 17% are reported as arson.

Figure 3. Leading Areas of

Fire Origin in Church Fires

AREA PERCENT

Large Assembly Area

Kitchen

Exterior Wall

Ceiling/Roof

Heating Equipment Room

Small Assembly Area

10

10

9

9

7

7

Source: NFIRS only

Seventeen percent begin in worship, meeting, or classroom areas, one-third of which

are arson related. Ten percent start in the kitchen (stoves were a leading equipment

involved in church fires).

SMOKE ALARM/DETECTOR PERFORMANCE

Smoke alarms were not present in 65% of church fires. These are vital in preventing

significant property loss and casualties.
In 96% of church fires, no sprinkler system was installed. The high dollar loss resulting from these fires could probably be reduced substantially if sprinklers were installed

in churches.

EXAMPLES

S On June 18, 2001, a church fire gutted the century-old Cornerstone Christian

Church in St. Francois County, Missouri. Authorities do not believe arson was suspected in this four-alarm fire, where two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

4

S A church fire was officially ruled as arson, yet not specifically a hate crime. The

fire broke out on Sunday, May 20, 2001, severely damaging Hellenic Orthodox

Church of the Annunciation in Buffalo, New York, causing an estimated $1.5 million

damage. People were inside the church when the fire was discovered; no one was

injured.5

S The former pastor of a church in Steelville, Missouri, has been accused of setting

a fire that gutted the church in January 2001. His motive was to hide the theft of

money from Sunday collections.

6

S A self-described ”missionary of Lucifer” is serving prison time for 26 church

fires around the country. He pleaded guilty in five Georgia blazes set in 1998 and

1999, including one that killed a 27-year old firefighter. He is serving a 42-1/2-year

sentence for a string of church fires in eight states and was ordered to pay $3.6 million in restitution.7

***

For additional information on church fires, contact your local fire department or the

USFA.

NOTES:

1. National estimates are based on National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data (1996–1998)

and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual survey, Fire Loss in the United States.

2. Fourth Year Report for the President, National Church Arson Task Force, September 2000.

3. Ibid.

4. “Officials Dismiss Arson as Cause of Church Fire,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 20, 2001.

5. “Church Fire Ruled Arson,” The Buffalo News, May 23, 2001.

6. “Ex-Pastor Charged With Arson,” The Atlanta Constitution, February 21, 2001.

7. “’Missionary of Lucifer’ Sentenced in Arson,” Athens Newspaper, November 14, 2000.

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