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# Data Snapshot: Hospital Fires (2012‑2014)

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For each year from 2012 to 2014, an estimated 5,700 medical facility fires were reported to fire departments in the United States. Nearly a fifth of those (1,100 fires) were in hospitals. It is estimated that these fires caused fewer than 5 deaths, 25 injuries and $5 million in property loss per year. 1

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### Loss measures for hospitals and all other medical facility fires(3-year average, 2012‑2014)

The average number of fatalities per 1,000 hospital fires was lower than the same measure for all other medical facility fires. In addition, the number of injuries was also lower than that of other medical facilities. 2

National Fire Incident Reporting System

### Hospital fires by incident type (2012‑2014)

The majority of hospital fires were fires that were confined to cooking pots (60%). Confined fires are smaller fires that rarely result in death, serious injury or large content losses. 3 Fires in trash bins, incinerators or compactors composed 10% of hospital fires, while 3% were fuel burner or chimney fires.

Nonconfined fires, generally larger structure fires, made up 27% of hospital fires.

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##### Hospital fires by incident type (2012‑2014)

| Confined fires | 73% |
|----------------|-----|
| 23%            |

Leading confined fires types

### Hospital fires by time of alarm (2012‑2014)

Hospital fires occurred most frequently from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., accounting for 60% of the fires. The fires peaked between the hour of noon and 1 p.m. This period of high fire incidence coincides with lunchtime meal preparations, as cooking is the leading cause of hospital fires.

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Table may not total 100% due to rounding.

Table may not total 100% due to rounding.

##### Hospital fires by time of alarm (2012‑2014)

| Midnight-1 a.m. | 2.2% |
|-----------------|------|
| 2.6%            |
| 1.8%            |
| 2.4%            |
| 1.9%            |
| 2.3%            |
| 2.6%            |
| 4.1%            |
| 5.81%           |
| 5.4%            |
| 6.9%            |
| 5.8%            |
| 7.6%            |
| 6.4%            |
| 5.2%            |
| 5.1%            |
| 6.4%            |
| 5.0%            |
| 4.4%            |
| 3.3%            |
| 3.9%            |
| 3.3%            |
| 3.1%            |
| 2.6%            |

Table may not total 100% due to rounding.

### Causes of hospital fires (2012‑2014)

The leading causes of all hospital fires were:

While cooking was the leading reported cause of hospital fires overall, it only accounted for 6% of all nonconfined hospital fires. Nonconfined fires are larger, more serious fires.

The leading causes of nonconfined fires were:

### Extent of fire spread in hospital fires (2012‑2014)

84% of all hospital fires were limited to the object of origin. Only 3% extended beyond the room of origin.

              - Medical facilities are defined by Property Use codes 311 to 343. Hospitals are defined by Property Use code 331. Fires are defined as a subset of nonresidential building fires in NFIRS by using Incident Types 111 to 123 (excluding Incident Type 112). For Incident Types 113 to 118, the Structure Type is 1, 2 or null, and for Incident Types 111 and 120 to 123, the Structure Type is 1 or 2. Aid Types 3 (mutual aid given) and 4 (automatic aid given) were excluded to avoid double counting of incidents. Estimates of fires are rounded to the nearest 100, deaths to the nearest five, injuries to the nearest 25, and dollar loss to the nearest million dollars.
              - The average loss measures computed from the NFIRS data alone in the table differ from the average loss measures computed from national estimates. Average loss for fatalities and injuries is computed per 1,000 fires. Average dollar loss is computed per fire and rounded to the nearest $10. The 2012 and 2013 dollar-loss values were adjusted to 2014 dollars.
              - In NFIRS, confined fires are defined by Incident Types 113 to 118.

Page last reviewed: Aug. 31, 2022

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