Official websites use .gov

A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A **lock** () or **https://** means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content

Visit the U.S. Fire Administration homepage

HotelsLibraryPublicationsBlogImage GalleryPodcastsAboutContact

            - Fire Academy - Courses
- Programs
- Admissions
- On-Campus Students
- About
- 
- Fire Academy Home

            - NFIRS - eNFIRS Applications
- Documentation
- Training
- Coding Help
- Reporting Guidelines
- Vendor Information
- Data Quality
- Access Data
- About NFIRS
- NERIS
- 
- NFIRS Home

            - Prevention - Home Fires
- Arson & Youth Firesetting
- Hotels & Vacation Rentals
- Outdoor Fires/Wildfires
- Vehicle Fires
- Workplace Fires
- Life Safety Hazards
- Fire Is Everyone’s Fight®
- Fire Prevention Officials
- 
- Fire Prevention Home

            - Statistics - Reports
- Death & Injury Risk
- Residential Fires
- Nonresidential Fires
- Outside & Vehicle Fires
- Firefighter Fatalities
- Fire Department Registry
- State Statistics
- Data Sets
- 
- Statistics Home

            - EMS
            - Wildfire - Training
- Cohesive Strategy
- Fire-Adapted Communities
- Outreach Materials
- Healthy Landscapes
- Data
- Research & Technology
- Wildfire & WUI Blog
- 
- Wildfire Home

            - A-Z Index
            - 

- Fire Academy... - Overview
- Courses
- Programs
- Admissions
- Campus Life
- About

- NFIRS... - Overview
- eNFIRS Applications
- Documentation
- Training
- Coding Help
- Reporting Guidelines
- Vendor Information
- Data Quality
- Access Data
- About NFIRS
- NERIS

- Fire Prevention... - Overview
- Home Fires
- Arson & Youth Firesetting
- Hotels & Vacation Rentals
- Outdoor Fires/Wildfires
- Vehicle Fires
- Workplace Fires
- Life Safety Hazards
- Fire Is Everyone’s Fight®
- Fire Prevention Officials

- Statistics... - Overview
- Reports
- Death & Injury Risk
- Residential Fires
- Nonresidential Fires
- Outside & Vehicle Fires
- Firefighter Fatalities
- Fire Department List
- State Statistics
- Data Sets

- EMS
- Wildfire... - Overview
- Training
- Cohesive Strategy
- Fire-Adapted Communities
- Outreach Materials
- Data
- Research & Technology
- Wildfire & WUI Blog

- A-Z Index

            - Hotels
            - Library
            - Publications
            - Blog
            - Image Gallery
            - Podcasts
            - About
            - Contact

- Home
- Statistics
- Reports
- Where Fires Occur

# Data Snapshot: Recreational Vehicle Fires (2018‑2020)

      - Share on:
      - 
      - 
      - 

Each year, from 2018 to 2020, an estimated average of 4,200 recreational vehicle (RV) fires were reported to fire departments within the U.S. 1 Annually, these fires resulted in an estimated average of 15 civilian deaths, 125 civilian injuries and $60,300,000 in loss. 2
 Download this snapshot

### Loss measures for RV fires (3-year average, 2018‑2020)

National Fire Incident Reporting System

The average number of fatalities per 1,000 RV fires reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) from 2018 to 2020 was 3.9. During the same time period, the number of injuries per 1,000 fires was 16.3. Additionally, the amount of dollar loss per RV fire was $15,350. 3

### RV fires, self-propelled versus not self-propelled (2018‑2020)

Of the 4,200 RV fires, 85% were not self-propelled, and the remaining 15% were self-propelled.

            - View data in a table
            -  Download

##### RV fires, self-propelled versus not self-propelled (2018‑2020)

| Self-propelled | 15.4% |
|----------------|-------|
| 84.6%          |

### RV fires by time of alarm (2018‑2020)

RV fires most frequently occurred during the afternoon, peaking from 2 to 3 p.m. (7%). RV fires occurred least often in the morning hours from 3 to 4 a.m. (2%) and from 6 to 7 a.m. (2%).

              - View data in a table
              -  Download

Table may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

Table may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

##### RV fires by time of alarm (2018‑2020)

| Midnight-1 a.m. | 3.3% |
|-----------------|------|
| 2.6%            |
| 2.3%            |
| 2.2%            |
| 2.3%            |
| 2.4%            |
| 2.2%            |
| 2.6%            |
| 2.8%            |
| 3.3%            |
| 4.1%            |
| 5.7%            |
| 5.5%            |
| 6.2%            |
| 6.6%            |
| 6.4%            |
| 6.2%            |
| 6.3%            |
| 5.4%            |
| 5.2%            |
| 4.4%            |
| 4.4%            |
| 4.2%            |
| 3.4%            |

Table may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

### RV fires by day of the week (2018‑2020)

RV fires occurred most frequently on Fridays (15%) and Saturdays (15%). This coincides with the weekend and time off from work when RVs are often used.

            - View data in a table
            -  Download

Table may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

##### RV fires by day of the week (2018‑2020)

| Sunday | 14.4% |
|--------|-------|
| 13.1%  |
| 14.2%  |
| 14.1%  |
| 14.2%  |
| 14.6%  |
| 15.4%  |

### RV fires by month (2018‑2020)

RV fires peaked in July at 11% and occurred most often during the months of May through August, accounting for 38% of the fires. It is possible this slight peak may be due to elevated outdoor temperatures or increased vehicle use, as many individuals and families take vacations during these months.

            - View data in a table
            -  Download

Table may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

##### RV fires by month (2018‑2020)

| Jan   | 7.1% |
|-------|------|
| 7.2%  |
| 8.3%  |
| 7.9%  |
| 9.0%  |
| 9.0%  |
| 11.0% |
| 9.4%  |
| 8.3%  |
| 7.6%  |
| 7.4%  |
| 7.8%  |

### RV fire cause (2018‑2020, unknowns apportioned)

In 36% of the RV fires, the cause of ignition was unintentional actions, followed by failure of equipment or heat source (15%). Exposures and intentional actions caused an additional 6% and 4% of the RV fires, respectively, while acts of nature resulted in less than 1% of the fires. The cause of ignition was undetermined after the investigation in 26% of the RV fires and was still under investigation in 13% of the fires.

### Leading areas of fire origin in RV fires (2018‑2020, unknowns apportioned)

RV fires most often started in engine, running gear and wheel areas (26%), followed by other miscellaneous vehicle areas (16%) and operator/passenger areas (9%). Smaller but not minor percentages of fires started in cooking areas (8%), vehicle exterior areas (7%), other areas of fire origin (4%) and cargo/trunk areas (4%).

              - RV fires are defined by NFIRS Incident Type Codes 136 and 137. These fires include self-propelled motor homes or RVs and campers or RVs that are not self-propelled (includes trailers). Aid Types 3 (mutual aid given) and 4 (automatic aid given) were excluded to avoid counting a single incident more than once.
              - The computation of the estimate for RV fire dollar loss excludes a $3 billion loss from a naval ship fire in California in 2020.
              - 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 2018 and 2019 dollar-loss values were adjusted to 2020 dollars. The average loss measures computed from the NFIRS data alone in the table differ from the average loss measures computed from national estimates. The fire death rate computed from national estimates is (1,000 x (15/4,200)) = 3.6 deaths per 1,000 RV fires, and the fire injury rate is (1,000 x (125/4,200)) = 29.8 injuries per 1,000 RV fires.

### Vehicle fire safety handouts

          - Recreational Vehicle Fire and Life Safety Practices .  
          - Vehicle Fires: What You Need to Know.  English    |  Spanish  

Page last reviewed: Dec. 12, 2022

Be prepared.Be informed.Be safe.

              - 
              - 
              - 
              - 
              - 

Contact USFA

Information for
                  - College/university educators
                  - On-campus students
                  - Off-campus students
                  - Online students
                  - NFA instructors
                  - Public information officers

                  - Public fire educators
                  - Researchers
                  - State training officials
                  - Volunteer fire service
                  - Wildland firefighters

About USFA
              - Leadership
              - Events
              - Position statements
              - Strategic plan
              - Job announcements
              - Send us your photos
              - Doing business with us
              - Subscribe to email lists

----

16825 S. Seton Ave.Emmitsburg, MD21727USA

800-238-3358

 Fire Is Everyone’s Fight®

USFA.FEMA.govAn official website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

            - Accessibility
            - Accountability
            - Careers
            - Civil Rights
            - Contact FEMA

            - FOIA
            - Glossary
            - No FEAR Act
            - Plug-Ins
            - Privacy

            - Report Disaster Fraud
            - Website Information
            - DHS.gov
            - USA.gov
            - Inspector General

Current Advisories