U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center


Case Study:


Contribution of Alcohol to


Fire Fatalities in Ontario


Topical Fire Research Series, Volume 3 – Issue 5 

July 2003 
T O P I C A L F I R E R E S E A R C H S E R I E S


Alcohol to Fire Fatalities in Ontario 

Case Study: Contribution of 

October 2004	 Volume 3, Issue 5 

Findings 

H Over a 7-year period (1995–2001), 19% of fire fatalities in Ontario were alcohol 

impaired. The trend in alcohol−related deaths, however, decreased over these 7 

years. 

H Fatalities increase from noon to midnight and then decline. Alcohol−related 

deaths, however, begin climbing at 4 p.m. and peak at 5 a.m. 

H Fire fatalities are at their highest in the cold−weather months, probably due to an 

increase in heating fires. Alcohol−related fatalities are relatively constant throughout the year, with small spikes in March, August, and November. 

H Nearly 70% of all alcohol-related fire fatalities were between the ages of 25 and 

54. The elderly (>74) age group accounted for the largest number of fire deaths,

but only 3% of this population was alcohol impaired. 

H Nearly two of every three fire deaths were men; three of four alcohol−related 

deaths were men. 

H Open flame and smoking were the leading causes of Ontario fire deaths. 28% of 

the fatalities where smoking was the cause were alcohol impaired. 

The Ontario (Canada) Fire Marshal (OFM) investigates all fires involving fatalities and collects and maintains 

comprehensive records of each, including blood alcohol levels (BALs) of the deceased. The data from these records 

are input into the Ontario Fire Reporting System (OFRS). From this, quantitative assessments of the magnitude and 

characteristics of the fire problem are made. 

This topical report, based on data from the OFRS, investigates the impact of alcohol consumption on fire fatalities in Ontario. The objective is to look at the circumstances and causes of fire fatalities in a way that alerts both the 

public and public officials about the connection of alcohol abuse to the fire problem overall and to fire fatalities 

specifically. It should be noted that the legal drinking age in Ontario is 19 years old, 2 years younger than in the 

United States. 

FIRE FATALITIES 

Fire is the fifth largest cause of unintentional deaths in Ontario, following deaths from motor vehicles, falls, 

poisoning, and drowning/suffocation.1 From 1995 to 2001,2 901 Ontarians died from fire−related injuries (Figure 

1).3 Of these, 175 fatalities (19%) were impaired by alcohol. Even as the population increased during this period,4 

the 7−year trend of per capita fire fatalities was down 27%; and alcohol−related fire fatalities trended down 40%. 

S Federal Emergency Management Agency 

United States Fire Administration S National Fire Data Center 

Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside−usfa/nfdc/pubs/tfrs.shtm 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

140 

160 

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Alcohol−Related Fatalities

Number of Fatalities 

Ontario Fire Fatalities (1995–2001) 

Total Fatalities

Figure 1. 

TIME OF DAY 

Fires and fire fatalities vary by time of day (Figure 2). This distribution of fire fatalities in Ontario is consistent 

with that of the United States.5 Fires and fire fatalities peak between midnight and 2:00 a.m., when most people 

are asleep. After 2:00 a.m., fires and fire fatalities decline until 2:00 p.m., after which both increase. Slightly more 

than half of fatalities (52%) occur between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. There is a slight peak in fire fatalities from 6:00 to 

8:00 p.m., which corresponds to the dinner hour and an increase in cooking fires. 

Figure 2. Ontario Fire Fatalities by 

Time of Day (1995–2001) 

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

00:00− 

01:59 

02:00− 

03:59 

04:00− 

05:59 

06:00− 

07:59 

00:00− 

09:59 

10:00− 

11:59 

12:00− 

13:59 

14:00− 

15:59 

16:00− 

17:59 

18:00− 

19:59 

20:00− 

21:59 

22:00− 

23:59 

Fatalities 

Time of Day 

Number of Fatalities 

Alcohol Fatalities 

Alcohol−impaired fire fatalities exhibit a different pattern from all fire fatalities, with larger numbers of fatalities occurring in the evening hours. This is not unexpected, since alcohol consumption usually begins in the late 

afternoon and early evening hours. Sixty−six percent of all alcohol−related fire deaths occurred during the 8−hour 

period from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The number of these fatalities was highest from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. (19 

deaths) and second highest from 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. (17 deaths). These early morning hours may correspond to 

normal sleeping patterns and to the depressant effects of alcohol. 

MONTH OF YEAR 

Over the 7−year period from 1995 to 2001, there were an average of 9 fatal fires and 11 fire fatalities per 

month (Figure 3). Fire fatalities ranged from a low of 51 in July to a high of 115 in March. Spring and summer 

months (May through September), on average, had the fewest number of fires and fire fatalities. The number of 

fires and fire fatalities increased gradually from October through January. This increase may reflect the change in 

temperature when heating fires add to the other types of year−round fires. From March to May, fire and fire fatalities dropped nearly 50%. 

February is an unusual month in that the number of fires and fire fatalities decreases significantly compared to 

January and March—other cold months. Part of the decrease can be explained by the fact that February has fewer 

calendar days than other months; statistically, however, this deviation requires further investigation. 
Figure 3. Ontario Fire Fatalities by 

Month of Year (1995–2001) 

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

Fatalities

Number of Fatalities

Alcohol Fatalities 

The monthly occurrence of alcohol−related fire fatalities follows a similar pattern. March is the highest month 

of alcohol−impaired fire fatalities. Spring and summer months have the fewest number of fires and fire fatalities 

(May through September). Unlike the general pattern, however, alcohol−impaired fatalities increased in August, 

with a decline in September and constant increase with minor variation from October through March. 

AGE 

The elderly (older than age 74) accounted for the largest number of fire deaths (153); only 3% of these 

victims were alcohol impaired (Figure 4). The age group from 35 to 44 accounted for slightly fewer fire deaths 

(149) than the elderly, but 30% of these victims were alcohol impaired. 

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

120 

140 

160 

<15 15−24 25−34 35−44 45−54 55−64 65−74 >74 Alcohol−Related Fatalities

Number of Fatalities 

Ontario Fire Fatalities by Age 

(1995–2001) 

Age 

Total Fatalities

Figure 4. 

Although 43% of all fire fatalities were between the ages of 25 and 54, nearly 70% of all alcohol−related deaths 

were in this age group. None of the 101 children under the age of 15 (11%) who died as a result of fire were 

impaired by alcohol; however, in some multiple-fatality fires, an adult was impaired by alcohol and a child below 

the age of 15 years died in the same fire. 

GENDER 

Males accounted for 62% of the 901 fire deaths from 1995 to 2001. Among the total of 175 alcohol−impaired 

fire fatalities in Ontario, men substantially outnumbered women, accounting for 78% of these fatalities. Figure 5 

depicts the number of both alcohol-related fatalities and total fatalities by gender in each of the 7 years. 
0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

0

20

40

60

80

100

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Men 

Alcohol−Related Fatalities 

Number of Fatalities

Women 

Figure 5. Ontario Fire Fatalities by Gender (1995–2001) 

CAUSE 

Figure 6 shows the four leading causes of fire fatalities and those in which alcohol was a factor. These four 

causes accounted for 59% of all fatalities and 92% of all fatalities for which cause is known (the cause for 33% of 

the fatalities is unknown). Open flame was the leading cause of fire fatality in Ontario. Smoking, the second leading cause overall, was the leading cause in alcohol−related fatalities—28% of alcohol−related deaths. Smokers who 

are incapacitated because of alcohol consumption may be more careless with their smoking materials than their 

sober counterparts. 

0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 

Open Flame 

Smoking 

Cooking 

Heating 

Figure 6. Leading Causes of Ontario Fire Fatalities 

(1995–2001) 

Number of Fatalities 

Non−Alcohol Related 

Alcohol−Related 

CONCLUSION 

The data provided by the Ontario Fire Reporting System is a valuable tool in understanding the circumstances 

and causes of fire fatalities, and is an effective way to study the impact of alcohol on fires and fire fatalities. Similar 

data collection efforts in other Canadian provinces and U.S. states would contribute to more in−depth assessments 

of the link of alcohol use to fatal fires. For additional information on the role of alcohol in fire fatalities, contact the 

U.S. Fire Administration or your local fire department. 

To request additional information, comment on this report, or view the detailed 

methodology used in this analysis, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov 

Notes: 1.	 2002 Chief Medical Office of Health Report – Injury: Predictable and Preventable, Ontario Ministry of Health, November 2002. 

2.	 Data from 1990 to 1995 were analyzed in Establishing a Relationship Between Alcohol and Casualties of Fire, USFA, 1999. 

3.	 Fatal Fires in Ontario – 1995–2001, Office of the Fire Marshal. (http://www.gov.on.ca/OFM) 

4.	 Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces, and Territories, 1996 and 2001 Canadian Census.


(http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/TablePR.cfm)


5.	 Fire in the United States: 1989–1998, Twelfth Edition, FA–216, August 2001.