U.S. Department of Homeland Security • U.S. Fire Administration 

National Fire Data Center • Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/

Topical Fire reporT SerieS Volume 11, Issue 6 / January 2011

Attic Fires

in Residential Buildings

These topical reports are designed to 

explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as 

depicted through data collected in the U.S. 

Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National 

Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). 

Each topical report briefly addresses the 

nature of the specific fire or fire-related 

topic, highlights important findings from 

the data, and may suggest other resources 

to consider for further information. Also 

included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues 

addressed in the report or that put the 

report topic in context.

Findings

■ An estimated 10,000 residential building attic fires are reported to U.S. fire departments 

each year and cause an estimated 30 deaths, 125 injuries, and $477 million in property 

loss.

■ Residential building attic fires are considered part of the residential fire problem and 

comprise approximately 2 percent of all residential building fires. 

■ Almost all residential building attic fires are nonconfined fires (99 percent).

■ One- and two-family residential buildings account for 90 percent of residential attic fires.

■ Electrical malfunction is the leading cause of residential building attic fires (43 percent), 

followed by natural fires (16 percent). 

■ A third of all residential building attic fires spread to involve the entire building. Only 2 

percent extend beyond the building to adjacent properties.

■ Residential building attic fires are most prevalent in December (12 percent) and January (11 

percent) and peak between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m. 

■ Electrical arcing is the most common heat source in residential building attic fires (37 

percent).

From 2006 to 2008, an estimated 10,000 residential 

building fires originating in attics were reported by U.S. 

fire departments annually. These fires caused an estimated 

30 deaths, 125 injuries, and $477 million dollars in property damage.1,2,3 Residential building attic fires are 2 percent 

of all residential building fires reported to the National Fire 

Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) from 2006 to 2008. 

Attics are not commonly used as occupied spaces and, as 

a result, they usually do not have smoke alarms or heat 

sensors. When a fire occurs in an attic, it is common that 

it will go unnoticed until smoke or flames, escaping from 

the roof, are visible from the outside.4

 Sometimes, however, 

enough smoke will reach the smoke alarms on the lower 

levels, setting them off.5

Because they can take longer to detect, attic fires are very 

dangerous for firefighters and residents alike. The delayed 

detection allows the fire to become larger in size, ultimately 

causing more damage. The attic provides the fire with an 

array of fuel sources like open wood support beams and 

storage items. 

In attic fires, multiple areas of the attic tend to be involved. 

The fire tends to spread amongst the wood fairly easily and 

can be concealed under the insulation. This makes it very 

important that firefighters perform a thorough check of 

the attic to ensure that no hotspots, embers, or smoldering 

debris are still present.6

The location of the attic provides many difficulties for 

firefighters when extinguishing the fire. Careful planning 

goes into deciding the best way to extinguish an attic fire. 

Firefighters must decide whether to fight the fire from 

above or below, both of which present many difficulties. 

In both instances, firefighters have to consider that roofs or 

ceilings may collapse. The large amounts of water used to 

extinguish the blaze causes the insulation and wood beams 

to become saturated. Firefighters have been known to fall 

through the roof into the attic or through the attic into the 

floor(s) below.7

 In addition, not all attics have flooring. If 

firefighters enter the attic, they must be careful not to step 

outside the flooring area since they risk falling through the 

ceiling.8

The construction of the attic is another area that presents 

difficulties to firefighters. Older and newer homes are 

constructed using different techniques. Older homes tend 

to have roofs that are framed with larger sized lumber, 2 

by 6 inches. These attics usually provide a continuous attic 

space with a peak as high as 8 feet.9

 Conventional attics 

are not generally compartmentalized like many new home 

attics.10 Newer home attics typically employ a truss-framed 
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 2

construction that involves smaller wood boards placed in 

“A” (or triangular) shapes throughout the attic from the 

ceiling to the floor. This construction can be difficult for 

a firefighter to navigate. In addition, wood members in 

truss-framed construction can conceal fires and make extinguishing the fire more difficult.11 In large new homes and 

multifamily dwellings, many attics are constructed with fire 

stops, which can be as substantial as 2-hour, fire-resistance 

rated walls.12 These help limit the spread of the fire from 

the attic to surrounding areas.

Because attic fires pose unique challenges, this topical 

report addresses the characteristics of residential building 

attic fires as reported to NFIRS from 2006 to 2008. The 

NFIRS data are used for the analyses presented throughout 

the report. For the purpose of the report, the terms “residential fires” and “attic fires” are synonymous with “residential building fires” and “residential building attic fires,” 

respectively. “Attic fires” is used throughout the body of this 

report; the findings, tables, charts, headings, and footnotes 

reflect the full category, “residential building attic fires.”

Type of Fire

Building fires are divided into two classes of severity in 

NFIRS: “Confined fires,” which are those fires confined to 

certain types of equipment or objects, and “nonconfined 

fires,” which are not. Confined building fires are small fire 

incidents that are limited in extent, staying within pots 

or fireplaces or certain other noncombustible containers.13

Confined fires rarely result in serious injury or large content 

losses, and are expected to have no significant accompanying property losses due to flame damage.14 Nonconfined 

fires account for nearly all attic fires (Table 1). Because there 

are so few confined attic fires (less than 1 percent), the subsequent analyses in this report include all attic fires and do 

not distinguish between confined and nonconfined fires.

Table 1. Residential Building Attic Fires by Type of Incident (2006–2008) 

Incident Type Percent

Nonconfined fires 99.2

Building fires 97.3

Fires in structures other than a building 1.1

Fires in mobile homes and other mobile/portable buildings 0.8

Confined fires 0.8

Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue 0.6

Fuel burner/boiler malfunction 0.1

Trash or rubbish fire, contained 0.1

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note: Total may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

Type of Property

Residential buildings are divided into three major property 

types: one- and two-family buildings, multifamily buildings, and other. One- and two-family residential buildings 

include detached single-family residences, manufactured homes, mobile homes not in transit, and duplexes. 

Multifamily residential buildings include apartments, condos, and town houses. Other residential buildings include 

all other types of residential buildings, such as hotels or 

motels, long-term care facilities, dormitories, and sorority 

or fraternity housing. 

One- and two-family residential buildings account for 

nearly all (90 percent) of residential attic fires reported to 

NFIRS (Table 2). By comparison, one- and two-family residential buildings account for 65 percent of fires originating 

in other, nonattic areas of residential buildings, more in 

line with the occurrence of one- and two-family residential 

building fires overall (66 percent).15
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 3

Table 2. Attic and Nonattic Residential Building Fires by Property Type

Property Type Percent of Residential Building 

Attic Fires

Percent of Nonattic 

Residential Building Fires

One- and Two- Family 89.5 65.4

Multifamily 7.3 28.2

Other 3.2 6.4

Total 100.0 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Loss Measures

Table 3 presents losses, averaged over this 3-year-period, 

of reported attic and nonattic residential fires.16 Attic fires 

cause less fatalities and injuries per thousand fires than 

nonattic residential building fires (Table 3). As attics tend to 

be unoccupied areas, the lower loss measures for fatalities 

and injuries may be a reflection of this occupancy status. 

Attic fires, however, do result in more dollar loss per fire 

than nonattic residential building fires. The increase in 

dollar loss per fire may ultimately be due to challenges in 

the detection of attic fires and to the fire location. The fires 

are harder to detect, become larger in size, and cause more 

widespread flame damage. Water damage also affects the 

dollar loss, since the fire is attacked at the highest level, 

affecting all of the floors below, as opposed to a fire that is 

attacked on lower floors only.

Table 3. Loss Measures for Attic and Nonattic Residential Building Fires 

(3-year-average, 2006–2008)

Measure Attic Residential Building Fires Nonattic Residential Building 

Fires

Average Loss:

Fatalities/1,000 fires 2.5 5.5

Injuries/1,000 fires 11.2 28.6

Dollar loss/fire $38,950 $15,550

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note: Average loss for fatalities and injuries is computed per 1,000 fires; average dollar loss is computed per fire and is rounded to the nearest $10.

When Residential Building 

Attic Fires Occur

As shown in Figure 1, attic fires occur most frequently in 

the late afternoon to early evening hours, peaking from 4 

to 8 p.m. They gradually decline throughout the late evening and early morning hours. The lowest point is reached 

between 4 and 6 a.m. The fire incidences then begin to 

rise gradually until 7 a.m. where a small peak is observed. 

A small decrease is seen from 8 to 10 a.m. Beginning at 10 

a.m., the number of fire incidences start to increase until 

the peak hours are reached. The peak period (4 to 8 p.m.) 

accounts for 23 percent of attic fires.17
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 4

Figure 1. Residential Building Attic Fires by Time of Alarm (2006–2008)

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

11PM-Mid

10PM-11PM

9PM-10PM

1PM-2PM2PM-3PM3PM-4PM4PM-5PM5PM-6PM6PM-7PM7PM-8PM8PM-9PM

12PM-1PM

10AM-11AM

11AM-12PM

9AM-10AM

Mid-1AM

1AM-2AM2AM-3AM3AM-4AM4AM-5AM5AM-6AM6AM-7AM7AM-8AM8AM-9AM

Time of Alarm

Percent of Residential Building Attic Fires

3.7

3.3 3.3 3.2

2.8 2.8

3.2

3.8 3.6

3.2

3.6

3.9

5.8 5.7

5.4

5.0

4.2 4.0 3.9

4.2

5.2

5.5

5.9

4.9

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Figure 2 illustrates that attic fires peak twice during the 

year, once in the colder months and again in the summer. 

The cold weather peak, which is the highest peak, occurs 

during the months of December (12 percent) and January 

(11 percent). The increase in attic fires during these 2 

months is partially a result of electrical malfunction fires. 

The second peak in attic fires is seen during the months of 

June (9 percent) and July (10 percent). This summer peak is 

primarily a result of natural fires, which are highest during these 2 months. The majority of these natural fires are 

the result of lightning discharge. The lowest number of fire 

incidents is seen in September which sees the least number 

of attic fires caused by electrical malfunctions.

Figure 2. Residential Building Attic Fires by Month (2006–2008)

Month

Percent of Residential Building Attic Fires

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

November

December

October

September

August

July

April

May

June

March

February

January

10.9

9.1

7.5

6.8 6.9

9.2

9.7

8.2

5.0

6.7

8.4

11.6

Source: NFIRS 5.0.
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 5

Causes of Residential Building Attic Fires

Forty-three percent of all attic fires are electrical malfunction fires as shown in Figure 3. This finding suggests that 

homeowners and residents should make it a priority to 

have electrical equipment and electrical wiring in the attic 

inspected and properly maintained.

The next four leading causes combined account for 40 

percent of attic fires: natural fires (16 percent), open flame 

fires (10 percent), other unintentional, careless fires (8 percent), and other heat fires (6 percent).18

Figure 3. Residential Building Attic Fires by Cause (2006–2008)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Unknown

Investigation with Arson Module

Other Unintentional, Careless

Equipment Misoperation, Failure

Exposure

Natural

Other Equipment

Other Heat

Open Flame

Appliances

Electrical Malfunction

Cooking

Heating

Smoking

Playing with Heat Source

Intentional

Percent of Residential 

Building Attic Fires with

 Cause Determined

Percent of Residential 

Building Attic Fires

1.7

1.5

0.2

0.2

0.5

0.4

4.8

4.1

0.1

0.1

43.2

36.2

2.3

1.9

9.5

8.0

5.8

4.9

0.4

0.3

15.7

13.2

2.9

2.5

4.0

7.8

6.6

1.1

0.9

3.3

16.2

Percent of Residential Building Attic Fires

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Fire Spread in Residential Building 

Attic Fires

While 98 percent of attic fires never leave the building 

of origin (Figure 4), a third of the fires involve the entire 

building. An additional 2 percent extend beyond the 

building to adjacent properties. The fire spread in attic fires 

is in contrast to nonattic residential building fires where 

most fires are confined to the object of origin (62 percent) 

and only 15 percent involve the entire building.
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 6

Figure 4. Extent of Fire Spread in Attic and Nonattic Residential Building Fires (2006–2008)

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0

Beyond building of origin

Confined to building of origin

Confined to floor of origin

Confined to room of origin

Confined to object of origin

Percent of Attic and Nonattic Residential Building Fires

62.1

22.6

15.8

26.4

4.0

16.4

15.2

32.8

2.9

1.7

Percent of Nonattic 

Residential Building Fires

Percent of Attic Residential 

Building Fires

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

How Residential Building Attic Fires Start 

(Heat Source)

Figure 5 shows sources of heat categories in attic fires. The 

“heat from powered equipment” category, predominately 

electrical distribution-related equipment, accounts for 54 

percent of all attic fires. Within this category, electrical 

arcing accounts for 37 percent, radiated or conducted heat 

from operating equipment accounts for 8 percent, heat 

from other powered equipment accounts for 6 percent, 

and sparks, embers, or flames from operating equipment 

account for 3 percent of all attic fires. 

The “hot or smoldering objects” category accounts for 18 

percent of attic fires. This category includes fires started by 

miscellaneous hot or smoldering objects (8 percent) and 

hot embers or ashes (8 percent). The third largest category 

“chemical, natural heat sources” (14 percent) is primarily 

lightning discharge (13 percent).

Figure 5. Sources of Heat Categories in Residential Building Attic Fires (2006–2008)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Undetermined

Explosive, fireworks

Heat from open flame or smoking materials

Heat spread from another fire

Other heat source

Chemical, natural heat source

Hot or smoldering object

Heat from powered equipment

Percent of Attic Fires with 

Heat Source Determined

Percent of All Attic Fires

53.8

44.7

17.5

14.5

13.6

11.2

6.8

5.6

4.8

4.0

3.2

2.6

0.3

0.3

17.1

Percent of Residential Building Attic Fires

Source: NFIRS 5.0.
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 7

What Ignites First in Residential Building 

Attic Fires

Structural member or framing (39 percent), thermal, 

acoustical insulation within wall, partition, or floor/ceiling space (23 percent), and electrical wire, cable insulation 

(13 percent) are the specific items most often first ignited 

in attic fires (Table 4). Other structure component or finish 

accounts for 5 percent of the items first ignited. The exterior roof covering, surface, or finish accounts for an additional 5 percent.

Table 4. Leading Items First Ignited in Residential Building Attic Fires (2006–2008)

Area of Fire Origin Percent (Unknowns Apportioned)

Structural member or framing 39.1

Thermal, acoustical insulation within wall, partition, or floor/ceiling space 23.0

Electrical wire, cable insulation 12.9

Structure component or finish, other 4.9

Exterior roof covering, surface, or finish 4.8

Interior ceiling cover or finish 3.4

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Factors Contributing to Ignition in 

Residential Building Attic Fires

Table 5 shows the categories of factors contributing to ignition in attic fires. By far, the leading category is “electrical 

failure, malfunction” (50 percent). Unspecified electrical 

failure or malfunction (21 percent), unspecified shortcircuit arc (14 percent), and short-circuit arc from defective, 

worn insulation (10 percent) account for the majority of the 

fires in this category. 

The “natural condition” category is a contributing factor in 

15 percent of attic fires. Storms (12 percent) are the leading 

specific factor contributing to ignition in this category.

The categories “fire spread or control” and “misuse of 

material or product” are the third and fourth leading factors 

at 11 and 10 percent, respectively. The remaining categories 

are contributing factors in 20 percent of attic fires.

Table 5. Factors Contributing to Ignition for Residential Building Attic Fires 

by Major Category (Where Factors Contributing to Ignition are Specified, 2006–2008)

Factors Contributing to Ignition Category Percent of Attic Residential Fires

Electrical failure, malfunction 49.6

Natural condition 14.8

Fire spread or control 11.1

Misuse of material or product 9.5

Mechanical failure, malfunction 6.6

Design, manufacture, installation deficiency 5.2

Operational deficiency 4.9

Other factors contributing to ignition 3.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Notes: 1) Includes only incidents where factors that contributed to the ignition of the fire were specified.

 2) Multiple factors contributing to fire ignition may be noted for each incident; total will exceed 100 percent. 

Alerting/Suppression Systems in 

Residential Building Attic Fires

Smoke Alarm Data

Smoke alarm data presented in Tables 6 and 7 are the 

raw counts from the NFIRS data set and are not scaled to 

national estimates of smoke alarms in attic fires. In addition, NFIRS does not allow for the determination of the 

type of smoke alarm—that is, if the smoke alarm was photoelectric or ionization—or the location of the smoke alarm 

with respect to the area of fire origin.

Overall, smoke alarms were present in 50 percent of attic 

fires and were known to have operated in 20 percent of the 

fires. By comparison, smoke alarms were present in 43 percent of nonconfined, nonattic residential fires and operated 

in 24 percent. In 23 percent of attic fires, there were no 
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 8

smoke alarms present. In another 27 percent of these fires, 

firefighters were unable to determine if a smoke alarm was 

present (Table 6).

There is a contradiction between firefighters’ experiences 

in attic fires and what the NFIRS data suggest. Firefighters, 

both in published media and in interviews for this report, 

note that smoke alarms are generally not in the attic area 

itself but are most often on the ceiling of the story below 

the attic. Smoke and heat rise; if the alarm is activated, it 

is often because of smoke seepage from the attic opening. 

Hence, if smoke alarms operate, they are generally late in 

the detection and notification of attic fires. 

The data, however, suggest that a larger proportion of 

smoke alarms are present in attic fires than in other residential fires, contrary to experience. Yet, consistent with 

experience, is that a smaller proportion of the alarms operate and that the overall damage is higher.

While veteran firefighters note that a smoke alarm present in the occupied area beneath an attic may detect smoke 

seeping into the occupied space and may provide adequate 

warning time to escape the fire, it is not adequate for the 

early fire detection smoke alarms afford.

Few, if any, smoke alarms are Underwriters Laboratories 

(UL)-listed for use in the temperature extremes an attic can 

experience. Few, if any, codes require alarms in one- and 

two- family residential attics where nearly all (90 percent) 

of attic fires occur. As a result, very few attics have smoke 

alarms installed. 

Table 6. NFIRS Smoke Alarm Presence in Residential Building Attic Fires 

(NFIRS, 2006–2008)

Presence of Smoke Alarms Count Percent

Present 8,007 49.7

None present 3,726 23.1

Undetermined 4,293 26.6

Null/Blank 95 0.6

Total Incidents 16,121 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Notes: The data presented in this table are raw data counts from the NFIRS data set. They do not represent national estimates of smoke alarms in residential building attic fires. They are presented for informational 

purposes. Total may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

Smoke Alarms in Occupied Housing

One of the most important values of smoke alarms is 

detecting smoldering fires before they break into open 

flame or produce large volumes of smoke. Smoke alarms 

could be especially useful in early detection of attic fires, if 

the alarm is properly placed. 

Smoke alarms were reported as present in 54 percent of 

attic fires in occupied housing (Table 7). Smoke alarms are 

known to have operated in 22 percent of attic fires in occupied housing and were known to be absent in 20 percent. 

Firefighters were unable to determine if a smoke alarm was 

present in another 27 percent of these fires.

When operational status is considered for attic fires in occupied housing, the percentage of smoke alarms reported as 

present (54 percent) consists of:

•	 smoke alarms present and operated—22 percent;

•	 present, but did not operate—22 percent (fire too small, 

13 percent; alarm did not operate, 9 percent); and

•	 present, but operational status unknown—10 percent. 

When the subset of incidents where smoke alarms were 

reported as present is analyzed separately, smoke alarms 

were reported to have operated in 42 percent of the incidents. The alarms failed to operate, however, in 17 percent 

of the incidents. In 24 percent of this subset, the fire was 

too small to activate the alarm. The operational status of the 

alarm was undetermined in an additional 18 percent of the 

incidents.
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 9

Table 7. NFIRS Smoke Alarm Data for Residential Building Attic Fires (NFIRS, 2006–2008) 

Occupied Housing

Presence of 

Smoke Alarms

Smoke Alarm Operational

Status Smoke Alarm Effectiveness Count Percent

Present

Fire too small to activate smoke 

alarm 1,732 12.6

Smoke alarm operated

Smoke alarm alerted occupants, occupants 

responded 1,950 14.2

Smoke alarm alerted occupants, occupants 

failed to respond 87 0.6

No occupants 429 3.1

Smoke alarm failed to alert occupants 184 1.3

Undetermined 403 2.9

Smoke alarm failed to operate 1,255 9.1

Undetermined 1,315 9.6

None present 2,729 19.8

Undetermined 3,673 26.7

Total Incidents 13,757 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Notes: The data presented in this table are raw data counts from the NFIRS data set. They do not represent national estimates of smoke alarms in residential building attic fires. They are presented for informational 

purposes. Total may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

Automatic Extinguishment System Data

Overall, full or partial automatic extinguishing systems 

(AESs), mainly sprinklers, were present in just 1 percent 

of attic fires (Table 8). The lack of suppression equipment 

(sprinklers) in attic properties is not unexpected as sprinklers are largely absent nationwide in residential buildings. 

As well, none of the of the national model codes require 

sprinklers in attics in one- and two-family residences, the 

location of 90 percent of attic fires reported to NFIRS. Note 

that the data presented in Table 8 are the raw counts from 

the NFIRS data set and are not scaled to national estimates 

of AES in attic fires.

Table 8. NFIRS Automatic Extinguishing System Presence in Residential Building Attic Fires 

(2006–2008)

Presence of Automatic Extinguishing Systems Count Percent

AES present 199 1.2

Partial system present 6 0.0

AES not present 15,027 93.2

Unknown 794 4.9

Null/Blank 95 0.6

Total Incidents 16,121 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Notes: The data presented in this table are raw data counts from the NFIRS data set. They do not represent national estimates of AESs in residential building attic fires. They are presented for informational purposes. 

Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 10

Examples

The following are some recent examples of attic fires 

reported by the media:

•	 July 2010: An attic fire in a Fresno, CA, home started 

around 2 a.m. and is believed to have been caused 

by an electrical problem. Eight family members were 

home when the fire took place but no injuries or deaths 

occurred. The fire caused between $15,000 to $20,000 

worth of damage. The firefighters were able to keep the 

fire contained to the attic.19

•	 June 2010: A fire that started in the attic at a family’s 

home in East Windsor, NJ, is said to have been caused 

by faulty wiring in a second-story ceiling fan. The fire 

was brought under control in about 30 minutes and was 

contained to the attic and roof areas. The homeowner 

and a contractor who was working on the back porch 

were home when the fire started. Both were alerted 

to the fire by a smoke alarm and were able to escape 

safely.20

•	 June 2010: A four-alarm fire in Weatherford, TX, started 

when a lighting strike hit a house, causing a fire to 

start in its attic. The fire ended up destroying the home 

despite firefighters efforts to combat the blaze. The fact 

that the fire department had no access to water at the 

home’s location had a significant effect on the outcome. 

No deaths or injuries were reported as a result of the 

incident.21

•	 April 2010: A neighbor called 9-1-1 shortly after 10 

p.m. when he smelled smoke coming from a neighboring house in Racine, WI. The fire is believed to have 

been caused by an electrical malfunction in the attic. 

No one was home when the fire started and no injuries 

were reported. It is estimated that the house sustained 

$30,000 worth of damage from the fire.22

NFIRS Data Specifications for Residential 

Building Attic Fires

Data for this report were extracted from the NFIRS annual 

Public Data Release (PDR) files for 2006, 2007, and 2008. 

Only version 5.0 data were extracted.

Attic fires are defined as:

•	 Incident Types 111 to 123: 

Incident 

Type Description

111 Building fire

112 Fires in structure other than in a building

113 Cooking fire, confined to container

114 Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue

115 Incinerator overload or malfunction, fire confined

116 Fuel burner/boiler malfunction, fire confined

117 Commercial compactor fire, confined to rubbish

118 Trash or rubbish fire, contained

120 Fire in mobile property used as a fixed structure, other

121 Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence

122 Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle

123 Fire in portable building, fixed location

Note that Incident Types 113 to 118 do not specify if the 

structure is a building. 

Incident Type 112 is included prior to 2008 as previous 

analyses have shown that Incident Types 111 and 112 

were used interchangeably. As of 2008, Incident Type 

112 is excluded.

•	 Aid Types 3 (mutual aid given) and 4 (automatic 

aid given) are excluded to avoid double counting of 

incidents.

•	 Property Use 400 to 464 is included to specify residential buildings:

Property Description Use

400 Residential, other

419 One- or two-family dwelling

429 Multifamily dwelling

439 Boarding/Rooming house, residential hotels

449 Hotel/Motel, commercial

459 Residential board and care

460 Dormitory-type residence, other

462 Sorority house, fraternity house

464 Barracks, dormitory

•	 Structure Type:

– For Incident Types 113 to 118:

▪ 1—Enclosed building,

▪ 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure, and

▪ Structure Type not specified (null entry).

– For Incident Types 111, 112, and 120 to 123:

▪ 1—Enclosed building, and

▪ 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure.

•	 Area of Fire Origin code 74 (Attic: vacant, crawl space 

above top story).
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 11

The analyses contained in this report reflect the current 

methodologies used by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). 

The USFA is committed to providing the best and most current information on the United States fire problem, continually examining its data and methodology to fulfill this 

goal. Because of this commitment, data collection strategies 

and methodological changes are possible and do occur. As 

a result, analyses and estimates of the fire problem may 

change slightly over time. Previous analyses and estimates 

on specific issues (or similar issues) may have used different 

methodologies or data definitions and may not be directly 

comparable to the current ones.

To request additional information or to comment on this 

report, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/feedback/index.jsp

Notes: 

1 National estimates are based on 2006 to 2008 native version 5.0 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System 

(NFIRS) and residential structure fire loss estimates from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual surveys 

of fire loss. Fires are rounded to the nearest 100, deaths to the nearest 5, injuries to the nearest 25, and loss to the nearest 

$million.

2 In NFIRS, version 5.0, a structure is a constructed item of which a building is one type. In previous versions of NFIRS, the 

term “residential structure” commonly referred to buildings where people live. To coincide with this concept, the definition 

of a residential structure fire for NFIRS 5.0 has, therefore, changed to include only those fires where the NFIRS 5.0 Structure 

Type is 1 or 2 (enclosed building and fixed portable or mobile structure) with a residential property use. Such fires are 

referred to as “residential buildings” to distinguish these buildings from other structures on residential properties that may 

include fences, sheds, and other uninhabitable structures. Confined fire incidents that have a residential property use, but do 

not have a structure type specified are presumed to be buildings. Nonconfined fire incidents without a structure type specified are considered to be invalid incidents (structure type is a required field) and are not included.

3 Residential buildings include, but are not limited to, one- or two-family dwellings, multifamily dwellings, boarding 

houses or residential hotels, commercial hotels, college dormitories, and sorority/fraternity houses.

4 Doug Leihbacher, “Roof Ventilation at Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, September 1, 2003. http://www.fireengineering.

com/index/articles/display/190976/articles/fire-engineering/volume-156/issue-9/departments/training-notebook/roofventilation-at-attic-fires.html (accessed August 23, 2010).

5 Matt Fair, “Attic fire displaces family,” nj.com, June 17, 2010. http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/

news-20/1276753527184840.xml&coll=5 (accessed July 29, 2010).

6 Jeff S. Case, “Residential Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, April 1, 2010. http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/

display/4059918418/articles/fire-engineering/volume-163/Issue-4/Features/Residential-Attic-Fires.html (accessed August 23, 

2010).

7 Dan Atkinson, “Newton firefighter Richard Busa survives two-story fall,” wickedlocal.com, February 12, 2009. http://

www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x2142440845/Jake-survives-two-story-fall (accessed August 23, 2010).

8 Doug Leihbacher, “Roof Ventilation at Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, September 1, 2003. http://www.fireengineering.

com/index/articles/display/190976/articles/fire-engineering/volume-156/issue-9/departments/training-notebook/roofventilation-at-attic-fires.html (accessed August 23, 2010).

9 Jeff S. Case, “Residential Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, April 1, 2010. http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/

display/4059918418/articles/fire-engineering/volume-163/Issue-4/Features/Residential-Attic-Fires.html (accessed August 23, 

2010).

10 Jeff S. Case, “Residential Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, April 1, 2010. http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/

display/4059918418/articles/fire-engineering/volume-163/Issue-4/Features/Residential-Attic-Fires.html (accessed August 23, 

2010).

11 Jeff S. Case, “Residential Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, April 1, 2010. http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/

display/4059918418/articles/fire-engineering/volume-163/Issue-4/Features/Residential-Attic-Fires.html (accessed August 23, 

2010).
TFRS Volume 11, Issue 6/Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Page 12

12 Jeff S. Case, “Residential Attic Fires,” fireengineering.com, April 1, 2010. http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/

display/4059918418/articles/fire-engineering/volume-163/Issue-4/Features/Residential-Attic-Fires.html (accessed August 23, 

2010).

13 In NFIRS, confined fires are defined by Incident Type codes 113 to 118.

14 NFIRS distinguishes between “content” and “property” loss. Content loss includes loss to the contents of a structure due 

to damage by fire, smoke, water, and overhaul. Property loss includes losses to the structure itself or to the property itself. 

Total loss is the sum of the content loss and the property loss. For confined fires, the expectation is that the fire did not 

spread beyond the container (or rubbish for Incident Type 118) and hence, there was no property damage (damage to the 

structure itself) from the flames. There could be, however, property damage as a result of smoke, water, and overhaul.

15 One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires, Topical Fire Report Series, U.S. Fire Administration, June 2010, Volume 10, Issue 

7, http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v10i7.pdf.

16 The average fire death and fire injury loss rates computed from the national estimates will not agree with average fire 

death and fire injury loss rates computed from NFIRS data alone. The fire death rate computed from national estimates 

would be (1,000*(30/10,000)) = 3.0 deaths per 1,000 attic residential building fires and the fire injury rate would be 

(1,000*(125/10,000) = 12.5 injuries per 1,000 attic residential building fires. 

17 For the purposes of this report, the time of the fire alarm is used as an approximation for the general time the fire 

started. However, in NFIRS, it is the time the fire was reported to the fire department.

18 The U.S. Fire Administration cause hierarchy was used to determine the cause of attic fire incidents: http://www.usfa.

fema.gov/fireservice/nfirs/tools/fire_cause_category_matrix.shtm.

19 “Attic fire in Central Fresno,” abclocal.go.com, July 26, 2010. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/

local&id=7572423 (accessed July 29, 2010).

20 Matt Fair, “Attic fire displaces family,” nj.com, June 17, 2010. http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/

news-20/1276753527184840.xml&coll=5 (accessed July 29, 2010).

21 Crystal Brown, “House fire caused by lightning strike Wednesday night,” weatherforddemocrat.com, June 3, 2010. http://

weatherforddemocrat.com/homepage/x93700942/House-fire-caused-by-lightning-strike-Wednesday-night (accessed August 

16, 2010).

22 “Fire caused by electrical malfunction,” journaltimes.com, April 19, 2010. http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/

crime-and-courts/article_5dc96e58-4bb3-11df-90e0-001cc4c002e0.html (accessed August 16, 2010).