U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 2, Issue 20

February 2002

Fatal Fires

FINDINGS

S Each year, an estimated 3,600 fatal fires claim the lives of 4,300 civilians. 83% involved a single fatality and 17% involved multiple fatalities.

S Injuries are 22 times as great and property losses are 16 times as

great in fatal fires as in nonfatal fires.

S 78% of fatal fires occurred in structures, 94% of these on residential

properties.

S 92% of fatal fires occur either in homes or in cars.

S The leading cause of fires that cause at least one fatality is smoking

(24%), followed closely by arson (20%).

S The leading areas of fire origin in fatal fires are lounge and sleeping

areas (60%).

S Fatal fires are most common in the winter.

S Smoke alarms either were not present or did not operate in 75% of

residences and 80% of non-residences.

S 63% of deaths are males. 25% of deaths are older population (over

64); 16% are children under 10.

Source: NFIRS & NFPA

Of the nearly 2 million estimated fires reported annually to fire departments between

1996 and 1998, an estimated 3,600 fires claimed the lives of more than 4,300 civilians

each year. These fatal fires also injured 1,200 civilians and caused almost $300 million in

property damage.1 Of the fatal fires reported over this 3-year period, 83% involved a

single fatality, and 12% involved two fatalities. The remaining 5% of fatal fires involved

between three and nine fatalities.

2 This report summarizes some of the major characteristics of fatal fires, with an emphasis on fatal fires in residential structures.

LOSS MEASURES

Fatal fires are relatively few in number, but they are devastating in outcome. Losses

from fatal fires are significantly higher than losses associated with losses from nonfatal
fires. Dollar losses associated with fatal fires in general are more than 16 times that of all

other fires. The injury rate for fatal fires is nearly 27 times that of all nonfatal fires.

Flame damage is more extensive in fatal fires that in nonfatal fires. Fatal fires in residential structures had more than 4 times the dollar loss and 10 times the injury rate as nonfatal residential structure fires. In more than half of the fatal structure fires, flame damage

extended throughout the structure whereas flame damages extended throughout the structure in only 18% of nonfatal structures. Figure 1 shows the loss measures for fatal and

nonfatal fires in all properties and in residential properties alone.

Figure 1. Loss Measures in Fatal and Nonfatal Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Dollar Loss/Fire

Civilian Injuries/1,000 Fires

Civilian Fatalities/1,000 Fires

$47,720

437.8

1,249.3

LOSS MEASURE

$11,045

45.6

—

ALL

$5,619

15.7

2.4

ALL FATAL

ALL

NONFATAL

$97,270

397.4

1,247.4

$5,441

14.9

—

ALL ALL FATAL

ALL

NONFATAL

ALL FIRES RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE FIRES ONLY

$11,271

48.0

7.7

Source: NFIRS only

WHERE FATAL FIRES OCCUR

Although fire occurs most frequently outdoors (38%), fatal fires occur most frequently in structures (78%). Of these fatal structure fires, 94% occur in residences. The

overall result is that the overwhelming majority of fatal fires (73%) are residential structure fires.

Seventeen percent of fatal fires occurred in vehicles; the remaining 6% were evenly

divided between outside and other types of fires. Figure 2 shows the graphical breakdown of where fatal fires occur.

Structure

(78.1%)

Other

(2.7%)

Vehicle

16.6%)

Outdoor

(2.8%)

Figure 2. Where Fatal Fires Occur

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98,

adjusted percentage)

Source: NFIRS only
CAUSES OF FATAL FIRES

The leading cause of all fatal fires is smoking (24%). Smoking also accounts for

more than one-quarter of the fatal fires in residential structures.

The second leading cause of fatal fires is incendiary/suspicious (arson), which

accounts for nearly 20% of the fatal fires overall and 18% of the fatal fires in residential

structures. The third leading cause of fatal fires is heating, at 12% overall and 13% in

residential properties.

Multiple fatality fires are most often caused by arson (19%), followed by heating

(18%). By contrast, smoking causes most single fatality fires (28%), followed by arson

(17%). Figure 3 compares the causes of fatal fires in all properties and residential properties.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Smoking

Incendiary/Suspicious

Heating

Cooking

Open Flame

Electrical Distribution

Children Playing

Other Heat

Appliances

Other Equipment

Exposure

Natural

Figure 3. Causes of Fatal Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only

All Properties

Residential Properties Only

WHERE FATAL RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE FIRES START

Figure 4 shows the leading areas of fire origin in fatal residential structure fires.

They start most frequently in lounge and sleeping areas (30% each).

3 Fires starting in

kitchens account for another 18%.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Lounge Area

Sleeping Area

Kitchen

Lavatory

Dining Area

Figure 4. Where Fatal Residential

Structure Fires Start

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only

WHEN FATAL FIRES OCCUR

Figure 5 shows the monthly breakdown of all reported fatal fires from 1996 to 1998.

January has the most fatal fires with almost 13% of the annual total; March is second at

11% and December third at 10%. The frequency of fatal fires follows a seasonal trend,

with fewer in the summer and more in the winter.

0 10 12 14

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Figure 5. Fatal Fires by Month

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only

2 4 6 8

SMOKE ALARM PERFORMANCE

Smoke alarm performance in fatal structure fires is shown in Figure 6. Although

more than 90% of homes have smoke alarms today, no smoke alarms were present in the
majority of structural fires where fatalities occurred. In 77% of fatal non-residential

structure fires and 55% of the fatal residential structure fires, no smoke alarms were present at the time of the fire. Smoke alarms were present in the room of origin and activated

in only 11% to 12% of fatal structure fires. Smoke alarms activated in only 17% of nonresidential structure fires and 21% of fatal residential structure fires.

0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No Detector Present

Operated

Did Not Operate

Too Small To Activate

Figure 6. Smoke Alarm Performance in

Fatal Structure Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent Source: NFIRS only

Residential Structures

Non-Residential Structures

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

PROFILE OF FATALITIES

Males are killed more frequently in fires (63%) than females, as has been the case

for decades. Children up to 9 years old account for 16% of fire fatalities (Figure 7)—the

largest for any decade in life. The older population (65 and over) is the single largest

group of fatalities and account for one-quarter of all fire deaths.

0 3 6 9 12 15 18

0-9

10-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

Figure 7. Fire Fatalities by Age

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

Adjusted Percent

Source: NFIRS only
Forty-seven percent of those killed in fires were asleep at the time of injury. Twentyseven percent were awake and were unimpaired. Nine percent were reported under the

influence of drugs4 or alcohol at the time of injury, but this may be an undercount

because of the reluctance to report intoxication. (Only a few states routinely test blood

alcohol levels for fire victims.) The largest percentage of fatalities were in the room or

space of origin, followed by the floor or origin (26%).

Patterns in fire fatalities vary by fire cause. For example, for smoking fires (the leading cause of fatal fires), 60% of fatalities are asleep when the fire ignites. Further, 31%

are intimately involved with the actual ignition of the fire.

Twenty-nine percent of fire fatalities were found in the room of fire origin at the

time of ignition. An additional 26% were on the same floor as the fire origin; the rest

were elsewhere in the building.

EXAMPLES

S On January 19, 2000, a fire that was intentionally set in a lounge area of a New

Jersey college dormitory claimed the lives of 3 university students and injured 58

others. The fire was small but it created intense heat and thick plumes of black

smoke that spread throughout the dormitory.

5

S On January 3, 2001, an early morning fire that was caused by an pot full of hot

cooking grease left unattended on an electric range of a Delaware home claimed the

lives of 11 family members. Among the dead were seven children and four adults.

Investigators found two smoke detectors in the house; neither had batteries.

6

S An early morning house fire in a Washington, D.C., suburb on the night of

Thanksgiving 2001 killed two adults and critically injured two others. Neighbors

went into the house and pulled the couple’s 21-year-old son to safety, but heat and

smoke prevented the neighbor form reentering the house. Improperly discarded

smoking materials in a basement couch caused the fire. The home’s smoke alarm did

not activate because the battery was dead.7

CONCLUSIONS

Most fatal fires are preventable. Preferably, people should smoke outside, and not

when they are drowsy. Properly maintaining, routinely inspecting, and properly installing

heating equipment can best prevent fatal fires caused by heating. Cooking should never

be left unattended, and the cook should remain alert.

Efforts must be made to establish a fire-safe home, especially a safe sleeping environment. The presence of a properly installed and functioning smoke alarm can prevent

many fire fatalities.

For further information on fatal 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. Of the incidents reported to NFIRS from 1996–1998, the highest number of civilian fatalities reported

in a single incident was nine.

3. Lounge areas include living rooms, common rooms, TV rooms, dens, recreation rooms, family rooms,

sitting rooms, music rooms, and the like.

4. This includes all drugs, prescriptions, and other.

5. The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 20, 2000.

6. The Baltimore Sun, January 4, 2001.

7. The Washington Post, November 24, 2001

CLICK TO REVIEW THE DETAILED METHODOLOOGY USED IN THIS ANALYSIS

CLICK TO SEE ALL THE REPORTS IN THIS TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES