U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center

Fire in the United States

2004-2013

17th Edition

March 2016
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U.S. Fire Administration

Mission Statement

We provide National leadership to foster a solid foundation for 

our fi re and emergency services stakeholders in prevention, 

preparedness, and response.
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i

Contents

Executive Summary........................................................................................................................ 1

Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................................... 1

National Problem ................................................................................................................. 1

Regional and State Profiles.................................................................................................... 2

Residences and Other Properties.......................................................................................... 2

Causes of Fires and Fire Losses............................................................................................. 3

Residential...................................................................................................................... 3

Nonresidential................................................................................................................ 3

Vehicle ........................................................................................................................... 3

Outside........................................................................................................................... 3

Other ............................................................................................................................. 3

Race, Age and Gender Characteristics of Victims.................................................................. 4

Conclusions.......................................................................................................................... 4

Prevention and Other Resources .......................................................................................... 5

Fire in the United States 2004-2013 17th Edition.......................................................................... 7

Introduction......................................................................................................................... 7

Data Sources......................................................................................................................... 8

National Fire Incident Reporting System ........................................................................ 8

National Fire Incident Reporting System Enhancements ................................................ 15

National Fire Incident Reporting System Training and Resources................................... 15

Uses of the National Fire Incident Reporting System...................................................... 16

U.S. Fire Departments .................................................................................................... 16

Methodology........................................................................................................................ 17

Analytic Issues and Considerations................................................................................. 17

National Estimates.................................................................................................... 17

Structures Versus Buildings...................................................................................... 18

Unknown Entries..................................................................................................... 18

Incomplete Loss Reporting....................................................................................... 19

Representativeness of the Sample ............................................................................. 19

Unreported Fires...................................................................................................... 20

Computing Trends ................................................................................................... 21

Rounding ................................................................................................................. 21

Comparing Statistics................................................................................................. 22

Data Collection and Reporting Changes ................................................................... 22

Confined Fires.......................................................................................................... 22

Definitional Changes................................................................................................ 22

Structure Fire Cause Methodology ........................................................................... 24
ii Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Differences Between the National Fire Incident Reporting System Data and

National Fire Protection Association Survey Data ..................................................... 27

Organization of Report ........................................................................................................ 32

The National Fire Problem............................................................................................................. 33

Fires and Losses (10-Year Trends, 2004-2013) ...................................................................... 33

Fire Loss Rates (2004-2013).................................................................................................. 35

Types of Properties Where Fires Occur ................................................................................ 37

Fires and Fire Losses by General Property Type (2013)................................................... 37

Fire Casualties and Dollar Loss per Fire by General Property Type (2013)...................... 39

Buildings and Other Properties............................................................................................ 40

Buildings........................................................................................................................ 40

Residential Building Fires and Losses ....................................................................... 40

All Residential Buildings .......................................................................................... 41

One- and Two-Family Residential Buildings ............................................................ 42

Multifamily Residential Buildings ............................................................................ 44

Other Residential Buildings...................................................................................... 46

Nonresidential Buildings.......................................................................................... 47

Vehicles and Other Mobile Properties...................................................................... 49

Outside and Other Properties................................................................................... 52

Causes of Fires and Losses.................................................................................................... 55

Causes of Residential Building Fires............................................................................... 55

Causes of Nonresidential Building Fires......................................................................... 58

Causes of Vehicle Fires ................................................................................................... 59

Causes of Outside Fires................................................................................................... 60

Causes of Other Fires ..................................................................................................... 61

Fire Casualties ...................................................................................................................... 62

Fire Deaths..................................................................................................................... 63

State Profiles............................................................................................................. 63

Age........................................................................................................................... 67

Gender..................................................................................................................... 69

Race ......................................................................................................................... 70

Fire Injuries.................................................................................................................... 71

Age........................................................................................................................... 71

Gender..................................................................................................................... 73

Acronyms........................................................................................................................................ 77
Executive Summary 1

Executive Summary

Fire departments in the United States responded to nearly 1.2 million fire calls in 2013.1 The U.S. fire 

problem no longer ranks as the most severe of the industrialized nations, yet thousands of Americans 

die each year, tens of thousands of people are injured, and property losses reach billions of dollars. 

There are huge indirect costs of fire as well — temporary lodging, lost business revenues, medical 

expenses, psychological damage, and others. To put this in context, the annual losses from floods, 

hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters combined in the U.S. average just a 

fraction of those from fires.2

 The public, the media and local governments are generally unaware of 

the magnitude and seriousness of the fire problem to individuals and their families, to communities, 

and to the nation.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The National Fire Data Center (NFDC) of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) periodically publishes 

“Fire in the United States,” a statistical overview of the fires in the U.S. with the focus on the latest year 

in which data were available. This report provides the fire service and others with information that 

motivates corrective action, sets priorities, targets specific fire programs, serves as a model for state and 

local analyses of fire data, and provides a baseline for evaluating programs.

This 17th edition covers the 10-year period of 2004 to 2013 with a primary focus on 2013.3

 The report 

addresses the overall national fire problem. Detailed analyses of the residential and nonresidential fire 

problem, firefighter casualties, and other subsets of the national fire problem are not included. These 

topic-specific analyses are addressed as separate, stand-alone publications.

The primary source of data is from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). National 

Fire Protection Association (NFPA) annual survey results, mortality data from the National Center for 

Health Statistics (NCHS), data from state fire marshals’ offices or their equivalents, population data 

from the U.S. Census Bureau, and inflation adjustments from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer 

Price Index (CPI) are also used. Because of the time it takes for states to submit data to USFA from the 

thousands of fire departments that participate in NFIRS, then obtain corrections and edit the data, and 

analyze and display the results, the publication lags behind the date of data collection. Fortunately, the 

fire problem does not change very rapidly, so the data is usually quite representative of the situation in 

the year of publication as well.

NATIONAL PROBLEM

Annual deaths from fire in the U.S. were estimated at 12,000 in 1974, the year in which the USFA was 

established.4

 At that time, a goal was set for reducing this number by half within a generation. This 

goal was met. By 2012, NFPA estimates of civilian deaths were at their lowest level (2,855). While fire 

deaths are still trending downward, in 2013, NFPA estimates of fire deaths were 13 percent higher than 

they were in 2012.5

1 NFPA, “Fire Loss in the United States During 2013,” September 2014. 2 National Weather Service (NWS), National Hazard Statistics, 2013: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum13.pdf. 3 Only native NFIRS 5.0 data was used for NFIRS-based analyses. By Jan. 1, 2009, NFIRS 4.1 data was no longer accepted by the system. 4 “America Burning.” The Report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, 1973. 5 The NFPA estimates fire deaths to be 3,240 in 2013. For the same year, the NCHS mortality data reflect 3,468 fire deaths. The NCHS 

mortality data suggest that fire deaths may be 7 percent higher than the NFPA estimate of fire deaths.
2 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Table 1 presents 10-year fire and fire loss rate trends. Fires per million population reached a new low 

in 2013, continuing the downward trend. Dollar loss per capita decreased 16 percent over the 10 years. 

Injuries and deaths per million population continued to decline. The death rate (deaths per million 

population) declined 27 percent from 2004 to 2013, and it is less than a third of what it was in the late 

1970s.6 Nevertheless, the U.S. has a fire death rate 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than that of several European 

nations. Of the 28 industrial nations examined by the World Fire Statistics Centre, the U.S. ranked as 

having the 12th highest fire death rate.

Table 1. Fire and Fire Loss Rate Trends (2004-2013)

Loss Measure 10-Year Trend (percent)

Fires/Million population -27.6

Deaths/Million population -27.3

Injuries/Million population -13.7

Dollar loss/Capita* -16.4

* The 2004 to 2012 dollar-loss values were adjusted to 2013 dollars.

Sources: NFPA, CPI and U.S. Census Bureau.

REGIONAL AND STATE PROFILES

The fire problem varies from region to region and state to state because of variations in climate, 

socioeconomic status, education, demographics and other factors. Four states (Alabama, Arkansas, 

Mississippi and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia had fire death rates that exceeded 20 deaths 

per million population. Twenty-three states, mostly situated in the Southeast and Midwest, had death 

rates between 11 and 20 deaths per million population. Additionally, 23 states had fire death rates at or 

below the national fire death rate. While some state death rates were still high, overall, states have made 

great progress in lowering the absolute number of fire deaths and their deaths per million population.

Ten states, mostly large-population states, accounted for 48 percent of the national total U.S. fire deaths. 

Unless their fire problems are significantly reduced, the national total will be difficult to lower.

RESIDENCES AND OTHER PROPERTIES

Over the years, there has been little change in the proportion of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss 

by the type of property involved. In terms of numbers of fires, the largest category continued to be 

outside fires (39 percent) — in fields, vacant lots, trash, etc. Many of these fires were intentionally set 

but did not cause much damage. Residential and nonresidential structure fires together constituted 40 

percent of fires, with residential structure fires outnumbering nonresidential structure fires by over 3 

to 1. What may surprise some was the large proportion of vehicle fires. In fact, nearly 1 in 7 fires to 

which fire departments responded involved a vehicle.

By far, the largest percentage of deaths, 77 percent in 2013, occurred on residential properties, with 

the majority of these on one- and two-family properties. Vehicles accounted for the second largest 

percentage of fire deaths at 15 percent. Great attention is given to large, multiple-death fires in public 

places, such as hotels, nightclubs and office buildings; however, fires that kill 10 or more people are 

few in number and constitute only a small portion of overall fire deaths. Furthermore, public properties are generally required by local codes to have built-in fire suppression systems. The area with the 

largest problem is where it is most commonly overlooked — in people’s homes. Prevention efforts 

continue to focus on home fire safety.

6 The fire death rate used throughout “Fire in the United States,” however, reflects the number of fire deaths (3,468) from the 2013 

NCHS mortality data. This death rate is 11.0 fire deaths per million population. In 1979, the fire death rate was 34.8 deaths per million 

population, as cited in USFA’s “America Burning Revisited,” 1987, p. 15.
Executive Summary 3

Only 4 percent of the 2013 fire deaths occurred in nonresidential commercial and public properties. Outside and other miscellaneous fires, including wildfires, were also a small factor (4 percent 

combined) in fire deaths.

The picture generally is similar for fire injuries, with 78 percent of all injuries occurring on residential 

properties. The remaining fire injuries were distributed across the other property types — nonresidential properties, 7 percent; vehicles, 7 percent; and outside and other fires, 8 percent.

The picture changes somewhat for dollar loss. While residential properties were the leading property 

type for dollar loss, nonresidential properties played a considerable role. These two general property 

types accounted for 83 percent of all dollar loss. The proportion of dollar loss from outside fires may 

be understated because the destruction of trees, grass, etc., is often given zero value in fire reports if it 

is not commercial cropland or timber.

CAUSES OF FIRES AND FIRE LOSSES

Residential

At 49 percent, cooking was the leading cause of residential building fires. Heating caused another 

13 percent. These percentages (and those that follow) are adjusted, which proportionally spreads the 

unknown causes over the other 15 cause categories.

The two leading causes of residential fatal fires were other unintentional or careless actions at 17 

percent and smoking at 13 percent. The leading cause of residential fires that resulted in injuries was 

cooking (37 percent). Cooking was, by far, the leading cause of fires resulting in dollar loss at 29 

percent, followed by electrical malfunction at 11 percent.

Nonresidential

For nonresidential building fires, cooking was the leading cause of fires (29 percent), followed by 

intentional actions (10 percent). Cooking and electrical malfunction were the two leading causes of 

fires resulting in dollar loss in nonresidential buildings, both at 12 percent.

Vehicle

Unintentional actions were the leading cause of fires and fires resulting in dollar loss in vehicles (37 

and 36 percent, respectively). The cause of vehicle fires was undetermined after the investigation in 

23 percent of vehicle fires. Failure of equipment or heat source, at 23 percent, was the second leading 

cause of fires resulting in dollar loss.

Outside

Unintentional actions were the leading cause of fires and fires resulting in dollar loss in outside fires 

(40 and 39 percent, respectively). Causes were undetermined after the investigation in 28 percent of 

outside fires and 24 percent of outside fires resulting in dollar loss.

Other

Just as with vehicle and outside fires, unintentional actions were the leading cause of other fires and 

fires causing dollar loss (45 and 48 percent, respectively). Failure of equipment or heat source was the 

second leading cause of other fires (20 percent) and other fires resulting in dollar loss (25 percent).
4 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

RACE, AGE AND GENDER CHARACTERISTICS OF VICTIMS

Fire losses affect all groups and races, rich and poor, Northern and Southern, urban and rural. But the 

problem is higher for some groups than for others. African-Americans and American Indian/Alaska 

Native males have much higher fire death rates than the national average. African-Americans constitute 

a large and disproportionate share of total fire deaths, accounting for 19 percent of fire deaths but only 

13 percent of the U.S. population.

Males were 1.5 times more likely to die in fires than females. Female fire deaths in the 70 and older 

age group accounted for one-third of female fire deaths. Male fire deaths, by contrast, were higher in 

the late midlife years (50 to 64).

Males ages 20 to 54 tended to have a slightly higher proportion of injuries, while older adult females 

had more injuries than males. The majority of fire-related injuries occurred in adults ages 20 to 59. This 

age group accounted for 64 percent of the fire injuries in 2013.

People with limited physical and cognitive abilities, especially older adults, are at a higher risk of death 

from fire than other groups.7

 Older adults accounted for 36 percent of all fire deaths and 14 percent of 

estimated fire injuries in 2013.

As baby boomers enter retirement age, the demographic profile of the U.S. is expected to dramatically 

change. Over the coming decades, the older population will increase, and a corresponding increase in 

fire deaths and injuries among older adults is likely.

In the past, children age 4 and younger were also considered to be at a high risk of death from fire; 

however, data indicate that the trend is changing. In 2013, the relative risk of children age 4 and 

younger dying in a fire was 30 percent less than that of the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

This report shows that, overall, the fire problem in the U.S. continues to improve. Ten-year fire loss 

rates are down. It is likely that several factors continue to contribute to these trends:

•	 Smoke alarms, the use of which has become nearly universal — USFA continues to partner with 

other government agencies and fire service entities to improve and develop new smoke alarm 

technologies.

•	 Sprinklers, which quickly combat incipient fires, especially in nonresidential and multifamily 

buildings — there are major movements in the U.S. fire service to require or facilitate use of 

sprinklers in all new homes, which could improve the use of residential sprinklers in the future.

•	 Fire codes, which have been strengthened.

•	 Construction techniques and materials, which have been targeted specifically for fire prevention.

•	 Public education at the community, county, state and federal levels.

•	 Improved firefighter equipment and training.

Even considering these positive trends, the U.S. still has a major fire problem compared with some 

other industrialized nations. The study and implementation of international fire prevention programs 

that have proved effective in reducing the number of fires and deaths should be considered.

7 USFA defines older adults as age 65 and older.
Executive Summary 5

Other areas that continue to be of concern:

•	 The very old remain at high risk of death from fire.

•	 The focus for injury prevention should be on adults ages 20 to 64 and those 85 or older.

•	 African-Americans and American Indians/Alaska Natives remain at a higher risk of death from fire 

than the general population.

•	 Outside/Wildland fires.

•	 Contiguous states often have similar fire profiles.

•	 Data challenges still exist: Many records submitted to NFIRS by participating fire departments 

provide either incomplete or no information in some of the fields. Additionally, in preparing this 

report, it is assumed that participating fire departments have reported 100 percent of their fire incidents; however, this is not always the case. The completeness of all the information in the NFIRS 

modules will contribute to the refinement and confidence level of future analyses.

With continued enhancements to NFIRS, data collection continues to improve. If we better understand 

the relative importance of the factors that lessen the fire problem, resources can be better targeted to 

have the most impact.

PREVENTION AND OTHER RESOURCES

USFA develops and delivers fire prevention and safety education programs in partnership with other 

federal agencies, the fire and emergency response community, the media, and safety interest groups. 

USFA also works with public and private groups to promote and improve fire prevention and life safety 

through research, testing and evaluation.

•	 USFA’s outreach materials and educational programs are available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

prevention/.

•	 Smoke alarm information on technologies, performance, disposal and storage, training bulletins, 

and public education and outreach materials is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/

technology/smoke_fire_alarms.html.

•	 Residential sprinkler information on costs and benefits, performance, training bulletins, and 

public education and outreach materials is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/

technology/home_fire_sprinklers.html. Additionally, USFA’s position statement on residential 

sprinklers is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/sprinklers_position.html.

•	 USFA sponsors research and conducts studies to support emergency responder health and safety 

and help fire departments prepare for and respond to fire, natural disasters, nonfire emergencies, 

and other threats and vulnerabilities. Information on fire department operations, management and 

safety is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/.
6 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

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Introduction 7

Fire in the United States 2004-2013

17th Edition

INTRODUCTION

In 1973, the president’s Commission on Fire Prevention and Control published “America Burning.” This 

document was the first in-depth discussion of this country’s fire problem, the most severe of the industrialized nations. The report prompted a national awareness about the depth of the fire problem and the 

need for prevention efforts. By 1987, when a second commission was assembled, much progress had been 

made toward addressing the U.S.’ fire problem. Among other objectives, “America Burning Revisited” 

redefined the strategies needed to further reduce loss of life and property to fire. As a direct result of these 

efforts and others like them, the U.S.’ fire problem no longer ranks as the most severe of the industrialized 

nations. Nonetheless, the U.S. continues to experience fire death rates 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than those 

of most of its sister nations.8

 Many Americans are not aware of this or the nature of the fire problem.

This report is a statistical portrait of fire in the U.S. It is intended for use by a wide audience, including 

the fire service, the media, researchers, industry, government agencies and interested citizens. The 

report focuses on the national fire problem. The magnitude and trends of the fire problem, the causes 

of fires, where they occur, and who gets hurt are topics that are emphasized.

This document is the 17th major edition of “Fire in the United States,” published by USFA. The previous 

editions have included:

•	 First edition, published in 1978, included 1975 and 1976 fire data.

•	 Second edition, published in 1982, included 1977 and 1978 fire data.

•	 Third through fifth editions produced as working papers but not published.

•	 Sixth edition, published in 1987, included 1983 fire data.

•	 Seventh edition, published in 1990, included 1983 to 1987 fire data.

•	 Eighth edition, published in 1993, included 1983 to 1990 fire data.

•	 Ninth edition, published in 1997, included 1985 to 1994 fire data, and it focused on the residential/

nonresidential fire problem and on firefighter casualties.

•	 Tenth edition, published in 1998, included 1986 to 1995 fire data, and it provided a state-by-state 

profile of fires and an examination of firefighter casualties.

•	 Eleventh edition, published in 1999, included 1987 to 1996 fire data, and it focused on the residential/nonresidential fire problem and on firefighter casualties.

•	 Twelfth edition, published in 2001, included 1989 to 1998 fire data; the last edition to use the 

NFIRS 4.1 data system, it included analyses of all of the previous topics under one cover: residential 

and nonresidential fire problems, state-by-state profiles, and firefighter casualties.

8 The Geneva Association, “World Fire Statistics,” Bulletin, Number 29, April 2014, https://www.genevaassociation.org/media/

874729/ga2014-wfs29.pdf. As reported, the U.S. had a fire death rate of 1.11 fire deaths per 100,000 population for 2008 to 2010; the 

Netherlands had the lowest comparable European fire death rate at 0.46 per 100,000 population. Switzerland’s fire death rate was 

lower still at 0.34, but it excluded firefighter deaths.
8 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

•	 Thirteenth edition, published in 2004, included 1992 to 2001 fire data; the first edition to include 

the new NFIRS 5.0 data in the analyses; included the residential and nonresidential fire problem 

and firefighter casualties.

•	 Fourteenth edition, published in 2007, included 1995 to 2004 fire data; primary focus on 2004; 

for the first time, only native NFIRS 5.0 data were used for NFIRS-based analyses; addressed the 

overall national fire problem; detailed analyses of the residential and nonresidential fire problem, 

firefighter casualties, and other subsets of the national fire problem were not included.

•	 Fifteenth edition, published in 2009, covered the five-year period of 2003 to 2007, with a primary 

focus on 2007. As in the 14th edition, only native NFIRS 5.0 data were used for NFIRS-based 

analyses.9

 This report addressed only the overall national fire problem. Detailed analyses of the 

residential and nonresidential fire problem, firefighter casualties, and other subsets of the national 

fire problem were addressed as separate, stand-alone publications. 

•	 Sixteenth edition, published in 2013, was entirely Web-based. The document was renamed “Data 

Sources and Methodology Documentation,” with all of the data presented in an Excel file.

This 17th edition covers the 10-year period of 2004 to 2013, with a primary focus on 2013. This report 

addresses the overall national fire problem and will be published as a Web document.

DATA SOURCES

The USFA’s data analyses are based primarily on the NFIRS data but use other sources as well. Summary 

numbers for fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss are from the NFPA’s annual survey of fire departments.10 Other data sources used by USFA include 2013 NCHS mortality data11 as compiled from data 

provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program, resident population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, inflation adjustments from the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics’ CPI, and state statistics from state fire marshals’ offices or their equivalents. Because the NCHS 

mortality data is based on a census or enumeration of deaths based on death certificates rather than 

an estimate, it is used as the primary source for the computation of fire death rates and relative risk. 

The most current year available for the NCHS mortality data is 2013. Please note that for consistency, 

national trend data is based on the NFPA survey estimates, not the NCHS mortality data. 

The USFA gratefully acknowledges the use of the data and information provided by these groups. Data 

sources are cited for each graph and table.

National Fire Incident Reporting System

NFIRS was established in 1975 as one of the first programs of the National Fire Prevention and Control 

Administration, which later became the USFA. The basic concept of NFIRS has not changed since the 

system’s inception. All states and all fire departments within them have been invited to participate on a 

voluntary basis. Participating fire departments collect a common core of information on an incident and 

any casualties that ensue by using a common set of definitions. In very few departments, the data may be 

9 Previous editions of “Fire in the United States” have presented 10-year trends. As many of the trends are based on national estimates 

that use the proportion of native NFIRS 5.0 data to allocate estimated fires and fire losses, trends in this edition are limited to 2003 

and the years after when the proportion of native NFIRS 5.0 data exceeded 80 percent of the submitted data.

10 The NFPA summary numbers are used for the overall U.S. fire losses; for fire losses from vehicle, outside and other fires; and as the 

basis for estimates of residential and nonresidential building fires. The alternative approach for these summary numbers is to use the 

relative percentage of fires (or other loss measures) from NFIRS and scale up (multiply by) the NFPA estimate of total fires. The results 

would be somewhat different from those based on the NFPA subtotals. These differences are discussed in the section Differences 

Between National Fire Incident Reporting System Data and National Fire Protection Association Survey Data. Better estimates of fire 

loss measures will not be available from NFIRS until a more robust method of estimation is developed.

11 The NCHS data provides additional details not available from the NFPA survey: state of fire death occurrence, age, gender, and race.
Data Sources 9

written by hand on paper forms; however, the majority of the data are collected electronically through 

third-party software, the NFIRS Data Entry Tool (DET) or the Data Entry Browser Interface (DEBI), or the 

reporting department’s own system. Local agencies forward the completed NFIRS modules to the state 

agency responsible for NFIRS data. The state agency combines the information with data from other fire 

departments into a statewide database and then transmits the data to the NFDC at the USFA. Data on 

individual incidents and casualties are preserved incident by incident at local, state and national levels. 

Once limited to fire incidents only, NFIRS now encompasses all incidents to which the fire department 

responds: fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), hazardous materials or hazmat, and the like.

From an initial six states in 1976, NFIRS has grown in both participation and use. Over the life of 

the system, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 40 major metropolitan areas have 

reported to NFIRS. As well, more than 30,000 fire departments have been assigned participating NFIRS 

fire department identification (FDID) numbers by their states. Nearly 1 million fire incident records 

and over 22 million nonfire incident records are added to the database each year. NFIRS is the world’s 

largest collection of incidents to which fire departments respond.

Between 1985 and 1999, the level of participation remained relatively constant: A few states came in 

or left the system each year, and at least 39 states reported to NFIRS. Most years also included participation from the District of Columbia. The number of fire departments participating within the states 

remained relatively constant as well, with a slight dip in participation during the system migration 

from Version 4.1 to 5.0 in 1999. In 2000, the number of states increased to 43, and fire department 

participation began to bounce back from the Version 5.0 transition low. Since 2000, state and fire 

department participation has been steadily increasing. In 2003, NFIRS reached a milestone with participation by all 50 states. The following year, NFIRS achieved another significant goal: NFIRS not only 

achieved the national goal of 100 percent state participation, including the District of Columbia, but 

also for the first time, the Native American tribal authorities submitted data.

NFIRS continued to grow and mature. By 2007, a new level of participation had been achieved: all 

50 states, the District of Columbia, Native American tribal authorities, Northern Mariana Islands, and 

Puerto Rico all participated in NFIRS for a total of 54 state, district, tribal authority, and commonwealth 

entities (Table 2). However, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico are no longer reporting 

incident data to NFIRS. In 2013, data was submitted by the District of Columbia, the Native American 

tribal authorities, and all 50 states.12 In 2013, the most recent year of data available, 20,129 fire departments reported fire incidents to NFIRS (Figure 1). Across participating entities, 67 percent of the estimated fire departments in the U.S. reported fire incidents to NFIRS in 2013.13 With two-thirds of all fire 

departments nationwide reporting fire incidents to NFIRS 5.0, the reporting departments represent a 

very large dataset that enables USFA to make reasonable estimates of various facets of the fire problem. 

Although some states do require their departments to participate in the state system, participation in 

NFIRS is voluntary. However, if a fire department is a recipient of an Assistance to Firefighters Grant 

(AFG), participation is required.14

12 For 2013, Wyoming data was not included on the NFIRS Public Data Release (PDR) file, as the data was submitted by the state past 

the cutoff date set by USFA’s NFDC; however, the data resides in the NFIRS production database and Enterprise Data Warehouse.

13 For 2013, NFPA estimated that there were 30,052 fire departments in the U.S. Source: NFPA, U.S. Fire Department Profile 2013, 

November 2014, http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/the-fire-service/administration/us-fire-department-profile. 14 From the fiscal year 2013 AFG Program Funding Opportunity Announcement, while NFIRS reporting is strongly encouraged, NFIRS 

reporting is not a requirement to apply for, or be awarded, a grant within the AFG Program. However, any fire-based organization(s) 

that receives an AFG must commence reporting to NFIRS prior to the beginning of the period of performance. In order to be compliant 

and close out the grant, the grantee may be asked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide proof of compliance 

in reporting to NFIRS. Any grantee that stops reporting to NFIRS during the grant’s period of performance is subject to having the 

award(s) modified or withdrawn. See http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1382974632566-bf855cd302840cefcc3c8493e9858d

0c/2013+ASSISTANCE+TO+FIREFIGHTERS+GRANT+PROGRAM+-+FOA.pdf.
10 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Table 2. States Reporting Fire Incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2004-2013)

State 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Alabama X X X X X X X X X X

Alaska X X X X X X X X X X

Arizona X X X X X X X X X X

Arkansas X X X X X X X X X X

California X X X X X X X X X X

Colorado X X X X X X X X X X

Connecticut X X X X X X X X X X

Delaware X X X X X X X X X X

District of Columbia X X X X X X X X

Florida X X X X X X X X X X

Georgia X X X X X X X X X X

Hawaii X X X X X X X X X X

Idaho X X X X X X X X X X

Illinois X X X X X X X X X X

Indiana X X X X X X X X X X

Iowa X X X X X X X X X X

Kansas X X X X X X X X X X

Kentucky X X X X X X X X X X

Louisiana X X X X X X X X X X

Maine X X X X X X X X X X

Maryland X X X X X X X X X X

Massachusetts X X X X X X X X X X

Michigan X X X X X X X X X X

Minnesota X X X X X X X X X X

Mississippi X X X X X X X X X X

Missouri X X X X X X X X X X

Montana X X X X X X X X X X

Nebraska X X X X X X X X X X

Nevada X X X X X X X X X X

New Hampshire X X X X X X X X X X

New Jersey X X X X X X X X X X

New Mexico X X X X X X X X X X

New York X X X X X X X X X X

North Carolina X X X X X X X X X X

North Dakota X X X X X X X X X X

Ohio X X X X X X X X X X

Oklahoma X X X X X X X X X X

Oregon X X X X X X X X X X

Pennsylvania X X X X X X X X X X

Rhode Island X X X X X X X X X

South Carolina X X X X X X X X X X

South Dakota X X X X X X X X X X

Tennessee X X X X X X X X X X
Data Sources 11

Table 2. States Reporting Fire Incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2004-2013) 

— Continued

State 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Texas X X X X X X X X X X

Utah X X X X X X X X X X

Vermont X X X X X X X X X X

Virginia X X X X X X X X X X

Washington X X X X X X X X X X

West Virginia X X X X X X X X X X

Wisconsin X X X X X X X X X X

Wyoming X X X X X X X X X X

Native American X X X X X X X X X X

Northern Mariana 

Islands X X

Puerto Rico X X X * *

Total 52 52 53 54 51 52 52 52 52 52

Source: NFIRS.

Notes:	 Includes fire incidents submitted in both NFIRS Versions 4.1 and 5.0 for 2004-2008. Beginning in 2009, includes only fire incidents

submitted in NFIRS Version 5.0.

* Puerto Rico submitted fire incident data to NFIRS in 2008-2009, but the data was excluded from all fire data analyses due to data

quality issues.

Figure 1. National Fire Incident Reporting System Fire Department Participation 

(1980-2013, fire incidents only)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

1980

1981

19821983

1984

19851986

1987

198819891990

1991

19921993

1994

19951996

1997

19981999

2000

2001

20022003200420052006

2007

20082009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Number of Participating Fire Departments

Source: NFIRS.

Notes:	 1. 1999-2008 includes participation from NFIRS 4.1 and NFIRS 5.0.; 2009 and later only includes participation from NFIRS 5.0.

	 2. Includes mutual and automatic aid given fire incidents.
12 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Table 3. Fire Departments Reporting Fire Incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System in 2013

State No. of Fire Departments 

in State 

No. of Reporting 

Fire Departments (NFIRS 5.0)

Percentage of Reporting 

Fire Departments (NFIRS 5.0)

Alabama 1,230 293 24

Alaska 235 141 60

Arizona 314 87 28

Arkansas 976 668 68

California 1,105 470 43

Colorado 385 218 57

Connecticut 260 223 86

Delaware 61 58 95

District of Columbia 1 1 100

Florida 573 426 74

Georgia 626 337 54

Hawaii 6 4 67

Idaho 246 158 64

Illinois 1,203 1,000 83

Indiana 829 543 66

Iowa 848 544 64

Kansas 577 408 71

Kentucky 852 560 66

Louisiana 556 374 67

Maine 405 167 41

Maryland 419 261 62

Massachusetts 366 343 94

Michigan 1,306 745 57

Minnesota 784 724 92

Mississippi 752 612 81

Missouri 891 426 48

Montana 392 146 37

Nebraska 476 167 35

Nevada 165 36 22

New Hampshire 232 183 79

New Jersey 740 628 85

New Mexico 362 317 88

New York 1,786 1,047 59

North Carolina 1,257 1,064 85

North Dakota 372 146 39

Ohio 1,208 1,171 97

Oklahoma 926 351 38

Oregon 316 229 72

Pennsylvania 2,287 662 29

Rhode Island 76 28 37

South Carolina 435 358 82

South Dakota 337 162 48

Tennessee 728 574 79

Texas 2,025 921 45

Utah 273 120 44

Vermont 236 179 76

Virginia 652 479 73

Washington 487 245 50

West Virginia 442 429 97
Data Sources 13

Table 3. Fire Departments Reporting Fire Incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System in 2013 

— Continued

State No. of Fire Departments 

in State 

No. of Reporting 

Fire Departments (NFIRS 5.0)

Percentage of Reporting 

Fire Departments (NFIRS 5.0)

Wisconsin 850 639 75

Wyoming 145 54 37

Native American 100 3 3

Total 33,111* 20,129 61

Sources:	 NFIRS (2013) and state fire marshal’s offices or equivalent organizations (September 2013).

Notes:	 Additionally, there are 672 Department of Defense fire departments in the U.S. These departments are not included in the totals

here and do not report their fire incident data to NFIRS. * This total differs from the 2013 NFPA estimate of 30,052 fire departments. The NFPA estimate is the official estimate used by

USFA as its benchmark for the National Fire Department Census.

Corresponding to increased participation, the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries, as well as estimates 

of dollar loss, reported to NFIRS also have grown; an estimated 67 percent of all U.S. fires to which fire 

departments responded in 2013 were captured in NFIRS.15

There are, of course, many problems in assembling a real-world database, and NFIRS is no exception. 

Although NFIRS does not represent 100 percent of incidents reported to fire departments each year, the 

enormous dataset and good efforts by the fire service result in a huge amount of useful information. 

Because of advances in computer technology and data collection techniques over the past 40 years and 

improvements suggested by participants, NFIRS has been revised periodically. The newest revision, 

NFIRS 5.0, became operational in January 1999.

NFIRS 5.0 captures information on all incidents, not just fires, to which a fire department responds. 

In addition to many data coding improvements, Version 5.0 provides 11 modules that recognize the 

increasingly diverse activities of fire departments today. These modules, together, contain 567 data 

elements or fields.

The Basic Module is the main module, which is completed for every incident. The other modules are 

filled out, when appropriate, to provide additional information on an incident. All 11 modules are 

listed below:

Module Description

Basic Module General information for each incident

Fire Module Fire incident information 

Structure Fire Module Information on structure fires

Civilian Fire Casualty Module Fire-related injuries or deaths to civilians

Fire Service Casualty Module Injuries or deaths to firefighters

EMS Module Medical incidents

Hazardous Materials Module Hazardous materials incidents

Wildland Fire Module Wildland or vegetation fires

Apparatus/Resources Module Apparatus-specific information

Personnel Module Personnel associated with apparatus 

Arson Module Intentionally set fire information

15 This percentage excludes mutual-aid fire incidents to avoid double counting of fires.
14 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Data from the modules are grouped together each calendar year to create the PDR files in delimited text 

(.txt) format, which are then released annually into the public domain. For NFIRS data submitted prior 

to 2012, the PDR files were released in dBASE (.dbf) format. The Apparatus/Resources and Personnel 

Modules are excluded from the PDR because they are intended for local fire department use, and 

the PDR dataset’s main utility is intended for national analyses. The PDR files consist of a subset of 

the data fields contained within the NFIRS national production database. For example, data elements 

with sensitive or identifying information are removed, as are data elements that are wholly used for 

maintenance or production purposes. The data structure of the PDR files has been considerably simplified from the production database’s schema for ease of use. The PDR files from 2004 to the present 

only include fire and hazmat incidents and their related data tables. Prior to 2004, all incidents were 

included in the PDR files.

In its basic form, the NFIRS PDR files have a relational data structure where data from each incident 

module is represented by a row in a data table. The primary tables (basic incident and incident address) 

contain most of the Basic Module data. There is exactly one record in the basic incident table for every 

incident reported to NFIRS. All other modules, represented by data tables with similar names (fire incident, civilian casualties, etc.), have records that are linked to the basic incident table through unique 

incident identification key fields (e.g., STATE, FDID, INC_DATE, INC_NO and EXP_NO). Some module 

data are split across several tables (e.g., basic incident, incident address, and basic aid tables); one table 

(fire incident) combines data from two modules (i.e., Fire Module and Structure Fire Module). Some 

tables, such as fire incident, will only have one record for each relevant incident in the basic incident 

table, while tables such as civilian casualty may have several records linked to a single incident in the 

case where multiple injuries and/or deaths occur in the same incident.

The Basic Module and Fire Module of NFIRS 5.0 collect data in a different fashion than the precursor 

NFIRS versions. The design of NFIRS 5.0 makes the system easier to use than previous NFIRS versions 

because it captures only the data required to profile the extent of the incident. Some fires, for example, 

just require basic information to be recorded, whereas others require considerably more detail.

State participation is voluntary, and each state specifies NFIRS reporting requirements for its fire 

departments. States have the flexibility to adapt their state reporting systems to their specific needs. As 

a result, the design of a state’s data collection system varies from state to state. NFIRS 5.0 was designed 

so that data from state systems can be converted to a single format that is used at the national level to 

aggregate and store NFIRS data.

One of the most important changes is in the data format itself. All data in the system, regardless of 

the entry mechanism, are in NFIRS 5.0 format; non-NFIRS 5.0 data are converted to the 5.0 format. 

The proportion of native 5.0 data has steadily increased since the introduction of NFIRS 5.0 in 1999 

(Table 4). This proportion rose to 99 percent in the 2008 data. Since Jan. 1, 2009, NFIRS 4.1 data have 

no longer been accepted by the system. Prior to 2009, NFIRS 4.1 data in its converted form had been 

accepted by the system; however, USFA only used native 5.0 data in its NFIRS-based analyses.
Data Sources 15

Table 4. National Fire Incident Reporting System Fire Incident Data Reporting by Version (percent)

Year NFIRS 4.1

(converted to 5.0 format) Native NFIRS 5.0

1999 92% 8%

2000 77% 23%

2001 48% 52%

2002 31% 69%

2003 19% 81%

2004 11% 89%

2005 5% 95%

2006 5% 95%

2007 2% 98%

2008 1% 99%

2009 0% 100%

Source: NFIRS.

National Fire Incident Reporting System Enhancements

Under the USFA Reauthorization Act of 2008, the U.S. Congress authorized and funded USFA to develop 

enhancements to NFIRS. The upgrades to the system began in October 2008 and included a simplified 

NFIRS Web-based reporting interface and a data warehouse for generating output reports for use in analyses. These improvements make reporting and accessing the NFIRS data much easier for fire departments.

In July 2010, USFA completed and deployed the new Web-based DET. The DEBI is a one-purpose tool 

for use by the fire service to document incident information within NFIRS. While the functionality is 

the same as the NFIRS client DET that has been available for use for many years, the DEBI allows entry 

of incidents using a standard Web browser, eliminating the need to download, install and configure 

client software.

The development of a flexible NFIRS data warehouse with comprehensive data-mining capabilities was 

completed in July 2011, but technical problems with the data and environment have led to extensive 

delays. The data warehouse will allow NFIRS users to access and report on nationally collected data 

with significantly increased functionality over the current report generation tool. The data have been 

transformed into a custom schema that greatly increases the speed of report generation and data access. 

NFIRS users will be able to generate reports using data from other departments and states, which was 

not previously possible.

National Fire Incident Reporting System Training and Resources

USFA offers several NFIRS training courses for fire departments that include the “Introduction to NFIRS 

5.0” course, “National Fire Incident Reporting System 5.0 Self-Study,” the “National Fire Incident 

Reporting System: Program Management” (NFIRS: PM) course, and the “NFIRS Program Management-

-Data Analysis and Problem-Solving Techniques” (NFIRS PM DAPST) course. The Intro to NFIRS 5.0 

course teaches students how to use standardized forms to achieve uniformity in their incident and 

activity reporting. This training program is designed specifically to support local fire service organizations, and it will assist them in providing data to their management and to decision-makers, as well 

as to their state uniform fire reporting system. The “NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study” (online) course provides an 

overview of the data collection system, its modules, and data conversion issues. The NFIRS: PM course 

enables participants to promote, support and manage NFIRS data collection successfully. The NFIRS PM 

DAPST course is designed for experienced NFIRS users who need enhanced fire incident analysis and 

reporting skills. For more information on NFIRS training courses, visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

data/nfirs/support/training.html.
16 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Periodically, USFA issues NFIRSGrams, which are short bulletins that provide coding help to fire 

department personnel who use NFIRS. NFIRSGrams address FAQs and common mistakes made when 

completing incident forms. Examples include “Documenting casualties on an NFIRS report,” “Coding 

an electronic cigarette fire,” and “Calculating fire loss.” NFIRSGrams are available at https://www.usfa.

fema.gov/data/nfirs/support/training.html. Additionally, USFA’s NFIRS Support Center offers a consolidated national help desk to provide technical support to fire departments and NFIRS state program 

managers regarding all aspects of NFIRS.

Uses of the National Fire Incident Reporting System

NFIRS data is used extensively at all levels of government for major fire protection decisions. At the 

local level, incident and casualty information is used for setting priorities and targeting resources. 

The data collected are particularly useful for designing fire prevention and educational programs and 

EMS-related activities specifically suited to the real emergency problems that local communities face.

At the state level, NFIRS is used in many capacities. One valuable contribution is that some state legislatures use this data to justify budgets and to pass important bills on fire-related issues, such as sprinklers, 

fireworks and arson. Many federal agencies, in addition to USFA, make use of NFIRS data. NFIRS data is 

used, for example, by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to identify problem products 

and to monitor corrective actions. The Department of Transportation uses NFIRS data to identify fire 

problems in automobiles, which has resulted in mandated recalls. The Department of Housing and 

Urban Development uses NFIRS to evaluate the safety of manufactured housing (mobile homes). USFA 

uses the data to design prevention programs, to order firefighter safety priorities, to assist in the development of training courses at the National Fire Academy, and to serve a host of other purposes. Thousands 

of fire departments, scores of states, and hundreds of industries have used the data. The potential for 

even greater use remains. The USFA report, “Uses of NFIRS: The Many Uses of the National Fire Incident 

Reporting System,” further describes the uses of the data and is available online at http://usfa.kohalibrary.

com/app/work/159371.

U.S. Fire Departments

The number of fire departments in each state (Table 3) was provided by each state’s NFIRS program 

manager. USFA also maintains a database of fire departments. USFA established the National Fire 

Department Census and its subsequent database in the fall of 2001 when USFA launched a nationwide 

campaign for voluntary registration of fire departments. As of January 2015, there were 27,140 fire 

departments registered with the census, about 90 percent of the estimated number of U.S. fire departments. NFPA estimated that there were 30,052 fire departments in the U.S. in 2013.

The census database is intended for use by the fire protection and prevention communities, allied 

professions, the general public, and USFA. USFA uses the database to conduct special studies, guide 

program decision-making, and improve direct communication with individual fire departments. The 

database provides a current directory of registered fire departments and includes basic information, 

such as addresses, department types, website addresses (if applicable), number of fire department 

personnel, and number of stations. Population-protected and area-protected data are also collected. 

However, in previous analyses of the population-protected field, it was determined that the fire departments registered with the census reported protecting a population two times that of the U.S. population 

estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau. Similar results were seen for the area protected. The National Fire 

Department Census also collects information on specialized services that is released only in summary 

format. For more information about the National Fire Department Census or to download the list of 

registered fire departments, visit http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/census/.
Methodology 17

METHODOLOGY

An attempt has been made to keep the data presentation and analysis as straightforward as possible. 

It is also the desire of USFA to make the data analyses widely accessible to many different users, so it 

avoids unnecessarily complex methodology. The term fire casualties refers to deaths and injuries; the 

term fire losses collectively includes fire casualties and dollar loss.

Analytic Issues and Considerations

There are several long-standing issues regarding how to analyze NFIRS data when it is neither as 

complete nor as accurate as desired. Other analytic issues are the result of changes in definitions and 

data collection procedures from NFIRS 4.1 to NFIRS 5.0. The sections below discuss how the analyses 

address these and other issues.

Additionally, USFA developed the “National Fire Incident Reporting System Version 5.0 Fire Data 

Analysis Guidelines and Issues” document that discusses analytic considerations and methods of 

analyzing fire incident data using the NFIRS data.16 Topics include the NFIRS 5.0 data structure, general 

quality assurance issues, and definitions and parameters of common fire analyses (e.g., residential 

building fires or casualties), including the methodology for determining structure fire causes. The 

methods, techniques and considerations discussed are those used by USFA analysts, and they do not 

necessarily reflect methods, techniques and considerations used by fire data analysts from other agencies and organizations. NFIRS data partners may (and do) employ their own methods for analyzing the 

data and may make differing assumptions when encountering data issues.

National Estimates

National estimates are estimates of the number of fire losses (i.e., fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss) 

associated with a subset of the fire data. High-level summary national estimates of the numbers for 

fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss are based on NFPA’s annual Survey of Fire Departments for U.S. 

Fire Experience.17 With the exception of the NFPA estimates for total fires, structure (i.e., residential 

and nonresidential) fires, vehicle, outside and other fires, all other estimates are scaled-up national 

estimates or percentages, not just the raw totals from NFIRS. Because the NFIRS 5.0 data is not based 

on a statistically selected sample and does not represent a “complete” census of fire incidents, the raw 

counts of NFIRS data must be scaled up to national estimates. These estimates are based on a method 

of apportioning the NFPA estimates for total fires, structure fires, vehicle, outside and other fires.18

Generally speaking, the national estimates are derived by computing a percentage of fires, deaths, 

injuries or dollar loss in a particular NFIRS category and multiplying it by the corresponding total 

estimate from the NFPA annual survey.19 For example, the national estimate for the number of injuries 

by age group used in the calculation for the fire injury rate per million population was computed by 

taking the percentage of NFIRS fire injuries (with known age) and multiplying it by the estimated total 

number of fire injuries from the NFPA survey. This methodology is the accepted practice of national 

fire data analysts.

16 The “National Fire Incident Reporting System Version 5.0 Fire Data Analysis Guidelines and Issues,” July 2011, is available at https://

www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/nfirs/nfirs_data_analysis_guidelines_issues.pdf. 17 For information on NFPA’s survey methodology, please see NFPA’s report on fire loss in the U.S.: http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/

Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall%20Fire%20Statistics/osfireloss.pdf. 18 National estimates are based on “The National Estimates Approach to U.S. Fire Statistics” by Hall and Harwood: http://www.nfpa.

org/~/media/6906FADB2CE149488FB5103F4A750A05.ashx. 19 The NFPA summary estimates are used for the overall U.S. fire losses; for fire losses from structure, vehicle, outside and other fires; 

and as the basis for USFA’s estimates of residential and nonresidential building fires. The alternative approach for these summary 

numbers is to use the relative percentage of fires (or other loss measures) from NFIRS and scale up (multiply by) the NFPA estimate of 

total fires.
18 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Ideally, one would like to have all of the data come from one consistent data source. Because the “residential population protected” is not reported to NFIRS by many fire departments, and the reliability 

of that data element is suspect in many other cases, especially where a county or other jurisdiction is 

served by several fire departments that each report their population protected independently, this data 

element was not used. Instead, extrapolations of the NFIRS sample to national estimates were made 

using the NFPA survey for the gross totals of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss.

One problem with this approach is that the proportions of fires and fire losses differ between the large 

NFIRS sample and the NFPA survey sample. Nonetheless, to be consistent with approaches being used 

by other fire data analysts, the NFPA estimates of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss are used as a 

starting point. The details of the fire problem below this level are based on proportions from NFIRS. 

Because the proportions of fires and fire losses differ between NFIRS and the NFPA estimates, from 

time to time, this approach leads to minor inconsistencies. These inconsistencies will remain until all 

estimates can be derived from NFIRS data alone.

Structures Versus Buildings

NFIRS 5.0 allows for the differentiation between buildings and nonbuildings. In NFIRS, a structure is 

a built object that can include platforms, tents, connective structures (e.g., bridges, fences), telephone 

poles, and various other structures in addition to buildings. From 2004 to 2013, analyses of NFIRS 

structure fires show that, by and large, the majority (94 percent) of structure fires occurred in buildings.

The distinction between buildings and nonbuildings is particularly important when determining the 

effectiveness of nonbehavior-based fire safety mechanisms, such as smoke alarms and residential sprinklers. These important components of early fire detection apply to buildings and not necessarily to these 

other types of structures. To facilitate analysis of these components and to acknowledge that prevention 

efforts generally are centered on buildings, USFA separates buildings from the rest of the structures. For 

these reasons, USFA focuses on producing building fire and loss estimates. USFA’s Fire Estimate Summary 

Series as well as 2003-2013 national estimates of residential and nonresidential building fires and losses 

are published at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/order_download_data.html. For information 

on USFA’s methodology for computing national estimates of residential and nonresidential building fires 

and losses, please review USFA’s National Estimates Methodology for Building Fires and Losses (August 

2012) at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/national_estimate_ methodology.pdf.

Unknown Entries

On a fraction of the incident reports or casualty reports sent to NFIRS, the desired information for 

many data items either is not reported or is reported as “unknown.” The total number of blank or 

unknown entries is often larger than some of the important subcategories. For example, 46 percent 

of fatal fires in residential buildings reported from 2011-2013 do not have sufficient data recorded in 

NFIRS to determine fire cause.20 The lack of data, especially for these residential fatal fires, masks the 

true picture of the fire problem. Many prevention and public education programs use NFIRS data to 

target at-risk groups or to address critical problems, fire officials use the data in decision-making that 

affects the allocation of firefighting resources, and consumer groups and litigators use the data to assess 

product fire incidence. When the unknowns are large, the credibility of the data suffers. In some cases, 

even after the best attempts by fire investigators, the information is truly unknown. In other cases, the 

information reported as unknown in the initial NFIRS report is not updated after the fire investigation 

is completed. Fire departments need to be more aware of the effect of incomplete data reporting, and 

they need to update the initial NFIRS report if additional information is available after the investigation.

20 USFA, Topical Fire Report Series, “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2011-2013),” Volume 16, Issue 2, July 2015, 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v16i2.pdf.
Methodology 19

In making national estimates, the unknowns should not be ignored. The approach taken by USFA in 

presenting the data is to provide not only the “raw” percentages of each category but also the “adjusted” 

percentages computed using only those incidents for which data were provided. This calculation, in 

effect, distributes the fires for which the data are unknown in the same proportion as the fires for 

which the data are known, which may or may not be approximately right.

To illustrate, using the cause of residential building fires, cooking was determined as the fire cause for 

39.7 percent of reported residential building fires from 2011 to 2013; another 17.2 percent of reported 

fires had cause unknown. Thus, the percentage of fires that had their cause reported was 100 minus 

17.2, which equals 82.8 percent. With the unknown causes proportioned like the known causes, the 

adjusted percentage of cooking fires in residential buildings can then be computed as 39.7 divided by 

82.8, which equals 47.9 percent.21

Both the reported data and the adjusted data (if unknowns are present) are plotted on bar charts.

Incomplete Loss Reporting

As troublesome as insufficient data for the various NFIRS data items can be, equally challenging is the 

apparent nonreporting of injuries and property loss associated with many fire incidents. For example, 

there are many reported fires where the flame spread indicates damage but property loss is not reported. 

It is notoriously difficult to estimate dollar loss, but an approximation is more useful than leaving the 

data item blank. The degree to which there is incomplete reporting of civilian fire deaths is more difficult to identify, as the numbers of deaths are relatively small. Incomplete reporting of civilian injuries 

is also difficult to ascertain, but the injury-per-fire profiles for most departments are within reason.

Representativeness of the Sample

The percentage of fire departments participating in NFIRS varies from state to state, with some states 

not participating at all in some years. To the best that USFA can determine, the distribution of participants is reasonably representative of the entire nation, even though the sample is not random. The 

dataset is so large — on average about 69 percent of all fires — and reasonably distributed geographically and by size of community that it is used as input to developing national estimates.

In a joint study effort, USFA and NFPA examined the biases in NFIRS participation, specifically whether 

the fire experience of NFIRS-reporting departments differed systematically from the fire experience 

of other nonreporting departments within the same population. Results based on data from 1997 and 

2002 indicated that there were differences in total fire loss estimates derived from NFIRS reporting 

departments and non-NFIRS reporting departments; however, the degree of difference was not great 

enough to merit adjusting current scaling methodologies. Thus, USFA and fire data analysts from other 

organizations continue to use the long-standing methodology of scaling NFIRS estimates with NFPA 

total fire estimates.

In the fall of 2008, as required by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), USFA undertook a 

study of the NFIRS dataset to examine the potential bias in NFIRS due to fire department nonresponse. 

As a result, USFA completed an analysis to identify fire departments that do not participate in NFIRS, 

characteristics of these departments, and whether their nonresponse impacted the representativeness 

of NFIRS. Undertaken on a regional and county basis, the analysis provided insight into what, if any, 

adjustments could be made to minimize the impact of possible reporting bias on the fire loss estimates. 

States of particular concern for nonreporting were located in the Northeastern and Western regions 

21 USFA, Topical Fire Report Series, “Residential Building Fires (2011—2013),” Volume 16, Issue 1, June 2015, http://www.usfa.fema.

gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v16i1.pdf.
20 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

of the country, where the average rates of reporting were approximately 72 percent for each of these 

regions. By contrast, the Midwestern region had an estimated 87 percent reporting rate.

In 2011, USFA also completed a second NFIRS representativeness study as required by OMB. For this 

study, USFA compared the NFIRS database to NFPA proprietary data to determine the percentage of 

departments responding to the NFPA survey that also reported fires to NFIRS. It was determined that 

87 percent of the 2009 NFPA survey respondents also reported fire incidents to NFIRS from 2007 to 

2009. In 2009 alone, more than 18,000 additional departments (i.e., in addition to those responding to 

the NFPA survey) reported fires to NFIRS.

It is important to note that USFA, along with other federal agencies, does not use NFIRS data to derive 

state-level fire estimates. NFIRS data is used to show the fire problem at the national level. Because 

the findings in USFA’s latest NFIRS representativeness study show that a very high percentage of the 

NFPA respondents are also reporting fires to NFIRS, fire departments across the country appear to be 

well-represented in NFIRS.

Additionally, most of the NFIRS data exhibit stability from one year to the next, without radical changes. 

Results based on the full dataset are generally similar to those based on part of the data, another indication of data reliability. Although improvements could be made — the individual incident reports could 

and should be filled out more completely and more accurately than they are today (as can be said about 

most real-world data collections as large as NFIRS), and all participating departments should have the 

same reporting requirements — the overall portrayal is a reasonably accurate description of the fire 

situation in the U.S.

Unreported Fires

NFIRS only includes fires to which the fire service responded. In some states, fires attended by state fire 

agencies (such as forestry) are included; in other states, they are not.

Nonreporting to the National Fire Incident Reporting System

NFIRS includes fires from all states but does not include incidents from all fire departments within 

participating states; the percentage of fire departments reporting varies greatly from state to state. 

However, if the fires from the reporting departments are reasonably representative, this omission does 

not cause a problem in making useful national estimates for any but the smallest subcategories of data 

and some geographic analyses.

Some fire departments submit information on most, but not all, of their fires. Sometimes the confusion 

is systematic, such as when no-loss cooking fires or chimney fires are not reported. Sometimes it is 

inadvertent, such as when incident reports are lost or accidentally not submitted. The information that 

is received is assumed to be the total for the department and is extrapolated as such. Although there 

was no measure of the extent of this problem in the past, NFIRS 5.0 provides fire departments with the 

capability to report this information in a simplified, more straightforward manner.

Nonreporting to the Fire Service

A very large number of fires are not reported to the fire service at all. Most are believed to be small 

fires in the home or in industry that go out by themselves or are extinguished by the occupant. Special 

surveys of homes and businesses are needed to estimate the unreported fires. No attempt is made here 

to estimate them. Studies undertaken in the mid-1970s, mid-1980s, and again in the mid-2000s on 

unreported residential fires indicated that a substantial number of fires are not reported to local fire 

departments. The 2004-2005 CPSC study on unreported residential fires noted that, of the estimated 
Methodology 21

number of fires in residences, only 3 percent were reported to fire departments and 97 percent were 

not.22 Although the vast majority of fire incidents are unreported because they are small, confined and 

immediately extinguished, they are still fires. Even the largest fire starts small. Hence, all fires, regardless of size, merit prevention attention and analytic investigation.

Computing Trends

One FAQ is how much a particular aspect of the fire problem has changed over time. The usual 

response is in terms of a percent change from one year to another. As we are dealing with real-world 

data that fluctuate from year to year, a percent change from one specific year to another can be 

misleading. This is especially true when the beginning and ending data points are extremes, either 

high or low. For example, Table 5 shows that the percent change from 9,275 fire injuries in one- and 

two-family residential buildings in 2004 to 7,975 fire injuries in 2013 would be a substantial decrease 

of 14.0 percent; however, if we were to choose 2006 as the beginning data point (8,225 fire injuries), 

this change would show a 3.0 percent decrease. As we are interested in trends in the U.S. fire problem, 

USFA presents the computed best-fit linear trend line (which smoothes fluctuations in the year-to-year 

data) and presents the change over time based on this trend line. In this example, the overall 10-year 

trend is a decrease in injuries of 9.0 percent. As noted above, trends that incorporate NFIRS data from 

the 5.0 system may have subtle changes as a result of the system design and not a true trend change.

Table 5. Comparison of Percent Change Indicators

Year

One- and Two-Family 

Residential Building

Fire Injuries

Best-Fit 

Linear Trend

Change 

Between 

2004 and 2013

Change 

Between 

2006 and 2013

2004 9,275 8,987 9,275

2005 8,950 8,897

2006 8,225 8,807 8,225

2007 9,125 8,717

2008 8,400 8,627

2009 8,125 8,538

2010 8,525 8,448

2011 8,925 8,358

2012 8,300 8,268

2013 7,975 8,178 7,975 7,975

Percent change -9.0% -14.0% -3.0%

Source:	 USFA	national	estimates	of	one-	and	two-family	residential	building	fire	injuries.

Rounding

Percentages on each chart are rounded to one decimal point. Textual discussions cite these percentages 

as whole numbers. Thus, 13.4 percent is rounded to 13 percent, and 13.5 percent is rounded to 14 

percent. National estimates are rounded as follows: Fires are rounded to the nearest 100 fires, deaths to 

the nearest five deaths, injuries to the nearest 25 injuries, and loss to the nearest million dollars.

22 Greene, Michael A. and Craig Andres, Division of Hazard Analysis, Directorate for Epidemiology, U.S. CPSC, “2004-2005 National 

Sample Survey of Unreported Residential Fires,” July 2009.
22 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Comparing Statistics

Differences between the current NFIRS and older versions have, or may have, an effect on the analyses 

of fire topics. These differences, the result of both coding changes and data element design changes, 

required revisions to long-standing groupings and analyses. The revisions have caused some challenges 

when comparing current data to past data.

Data Collection and Reporting Changes

Streamlined reporting for qualified incidents, the collection of smoke alarm and automatic extinguishing system (AES) data (formerly called sprinklers), definition changes for some property types, 

the differentiation between buildings and structures, and changes in the cause methodology are among 

the areas that are approached differently in NFIRS 5.0.23 These revisions have resulted in changes in 

overall trends, some subtle and some substantial.

Confined Fires

The limited reporting of confined, low-loss structure fires allows the fire service to capture incidents 

that either might have gone unreported prior to the introduction of NFIRS 5.0 or were reported, but as 

a nonfire incident, as little to no loss was involved.24 Data from this reporting option for structure fires 

was investigated in a 2006 USFA report, “Confined Structure Fires.” The addition of these fires results in 

increased proportions of cooking and heating fires in analyses of structure fire cause. In other analyses, 

the inclusion of confined fires may result in larger unknowns, as detailed reporting of fire specifics is not 

required. In many USFA analyses, the confined fires are analyzed separately from the nonconfined fires to 

account for the fact that detailed reporting is not required for the confined fires. In 2013, confined fires 

accounted for 19 percent of all reported fires and 48 percent of structure fires. Of the confined structure 

fires, 81 percent were no- or low-loss cooking fires (67 percent) and heating fires (14 percent).

Definitional Changes

Property Types

Examples of property type changes include manufacturing and properties that are vacant and under 

construction. Manufacturing properties are no longer assigned a specific property use code based 

on the type of item manufactured. Instead, these properties are differentiated by an additional data 

element, “on-site materials.” Vacant and under construction is now an attribute of a structure and is no 

longer considered a separate property type.

Buildings and Structures

NFIRS 5.0 allows for differentiation between buildings and nonbuildings. In NFIRS 5.0, a structure is 

a built object that can include platforms, tents, connective structures (e.g., bridges), and various other 

structures (e.g., fences, underground work areas). This distinction between buildings and nonbuildings is important when determining the effectiveness of engineered fire safety features such as smoke 

alarms and AES. These important components of early fire detection and automatic suppression apply 

to buildings and not necessarily to other types of structures. To facilitate analysis of these components 

and to acknowledge that prevention efforts generally are focused on buildings, USFA separates the 

subset of buildings from the rest of the structures.

23 Other changes between NFIRS 4.1 and 5.0, such as mutual aid, do not have as significant an impact on analyses. As such, they are 

not addressed here. The NFIRS 5.0 documentation at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/nfirs/support/documentation.html provides 

detailed information. 24 Some states routinely reported such nonloss fires as smoke scares. The result, from a reporting viewpoint, is that the incident is 

reported but not coded as a fire incident.
Methodology 23

Structure fires are defined by the NFIRS incident type. Structure fires are defined as the Incident Type 

110 series (structure fires) and the Incident Type 120 series (fires in mobile property used as a fixed 

structure).25 These incident types are:

•	 111 Building fire.

•	 112 Fires in structure other than in a building.26

•	 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.

Building fires are a subset of structure fires. They are defined as structure fires where the structure type 

is an enclosed building, a fixed portable, or a mobile structure. By definition, this excludes nonbuilding 

structures. Previous USFA analyses demonstrated that confined structure fire incidents with full incident reporting primarily occurred in buildings. To accommodate the confined fire incident types with 

abbreviated incident reporting, the incident is also assumed to be a building if the structure type is not 

specified. In terms of NFIRS data, building fires are therefore defined as:

•	 NFIRS Version 5.0 data.

•	 Aid Types:

– 1 Mutual aid received.

– 2 Automatic aid received.

– 5 Other aid given.

Note: Mutual aid given and automatic aid given (Aid Types 3 and 4) were excluded to avoid 

double counting of incidents.

•	 Incident Types 111-123 (excluding Incident Type 112):

– 111 Building fire.

– 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.

Notes: 1. Incident Types 113 to 118 do not specify if the structure is a building.

2. Incident Type 112 was included in data analyses prior to 2008, as previous analyses 

showed that Incident Types 111 and 112 were used interchangeably. As of 2008, Incident 

Type 112 was excluded.

25 Note that Incident Type 110 is not included. Incident Type 110 is a conversion code for NFIRS 4.1. Incident Type 110 is not a valid 

code for data collected in NFIRS 5.0. Incidents in the NFIRS 5.0 database with Incident Type 110 are incidents collected under the 

NFIRS 4.1 system that are converted to NFIRS 5.0 compatible data.

26 Preliminary findings noted that the fires coded as Incident Type 112 appear to be in buildings. A more detailed look at these incident 

types is required to determine whether they were coded correctly.
24 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

•	 Structure Type:

– For Incident Types 113 to 118:

- 1—Enclosed building, or

- 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure, or

- Structure Type not specified (null entry).

– For Incident Types 111 and 120 to 123:

- 1—Enclosed building, or

- 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure.

Structure Fire Cause Methodology

Since the introduction of NFIRS Version 5.0, the implementation of the cause hierarchy has resulted 

in a steady increase in the percentages of unknown fire causes. This increase may be due, in part, to 

the fact that the original cause hierarchy (described in “Fire in the United States 1995-2004,” 14th 

edition) does not apply as well to NFIRS Version 5.0. Causal information now collected as part of NFIRS 

Version 5.0 was not incorporated in the old hierarchy. As a result, many incidents were assigned to the 

unknown cause category. As the hierarchy was originally designed for structures, incidents that did not 

fit well into the structure cause categories were also assigned to the unknown category.

Structure Fires

To capture the wealth of data available in NFIRS 5.0, USFA developed a modified version of the 

previous cause hierarchy for structure fires as shown in Table 6. The revised schema provides three 

levels of cause descriptions: a set of more detailed causes (priority cause description), a set of midlevel 

causes (cause description), and a set of high-level causes (general cause description). The priority cause 

description and the cause description existed previously as part of the original cause hierarchy but have 

been expanded to capture the new 5.0 data.

Table 6. Three-Level Structure Fire Cause Hierarchy

Priority Cause Description 

(in hierarchical order) Cause Description General Cause Description

Exposure Exposure Exposure

Intentional Intentional Firesetting

Cause under investigation Cause under investigation Unknown

Children playing Playing with heat source Firesetting Other playing

Natural Natural Natural

Fireworks

Other heat

Explosives Flame, heat

Smoking Smoking

Heating Heating

Cooking Cooking Equipment

Air conditioning Appliances

Electrical distribution Electrical malfunction Electrical

Appliances Appliances

Special equipment Equipment Other equipment Processing equipment

Torches Open flame Flame, heat
Methodology 25

Table 6. Three-Level Structure Fire Cause Hierarchy — Continued

Priority Cause Description 

(in hierarchical order) Cause Description General Cause Description

Service equipment

Other equipment Equipment Vehicle, engine

Unclassified fuel-powered

equipment

Unclassified equipment with other

or unknown fuel source Unknown Unknown

Unclassified electrical malfunction Electrical malfunction Electrical

Matches, candles Open flame

Flame, heat

Open fire

Other open flame, spark Other heat

Friction, hot material

Ember, rekindle Open flame

Other hot object Other heat

Natural condition, other Natural Natural

Heat source or product misuse Other unintentional, careless Unknown

Equipment operation deficiency Equipment misoperation, failure Equipment Equipment failure, malfunction

Trash, rubbish Unknown

Unknown

Other unintentional Other unintentional, careless

Exposure (fire spread, other) Exposure Exposure

Unknown Unknown Unknown

Source: USFA.

Note:	 Fires are assigned to a cause category in the hierarchical order shown. For example, if the fire is judged to be intentionally set and

a match was used to ignite it, it is classified as intentional and not open flame because intentional is higher on the list.

The causes of fires are often a complex chain of events. To make it easier to grasp the “big picture,” the 

16 midlevel categories of fire causes, such as heating, cooking, and playing with heat source, are used 

by USFA. The alternative is to present scores of detailed cause categories or scenarios, each of which 

would have a relatively small percentage of fires. For example, heating includes subcategories such as 

misuse of portable space heaters, wood stove chimney fires, and fires involving gas central heating 

systems. Experience has shown that the larger categories are useful for an initial presentation of the fire 

problem. A more detailed analysis can follow.

Fires are assigned to one of the 16 midlevel cause groupings using a hierarchy of definitions, approximately as shown in Table 7.27 A fire is included in the highest category into which it fits on the list. If 

it does not fit the top category, then the second one is considered, and if not that one, the third and so 

on. (See the note section in Table 6 for an example.)

27 The structure fire cause hierarchy and definitions can be found in the document “National Fire Incident Reporting System Version 

5.0 Fire Data Analysis Guidelines and Issues,” July 2011, https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/nfirs/nfirs_data_analysis_ 

guidelines_issues.pdf. The hierarchy involves a large number of subcategories that are later grouped into the 16 midlevel cause categories, then the seven high-level cause groupings.
26 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Table 7. Midlevel Cause Groupings28

Cause Category Definition

Exposure Caused by heat spreading from another hostile fire.

Intentional28 Cause of ignition is intentional, or fire is deliberately set.

Cause under 

investigation

Cause is under investigation, and a valid NFIRS Arson Module is present. (This 

category was formerly called “Investigation with Arson Module.”)

Playing with 

heat source

Includes all fires caused by individuals playing with any materials contained in the

categories below, as well as fires where the factors contributing to ignition include

playing with heat source. Children playing with fire is included in this category.

Natural Caused by the sun’s heat, spontaneous ignition, chemicals, lightning, static

discharge, high winds, storms, high water including floods, earthquakes, volcanic

action, and animals.

Other heat Includes fireworks, explosives, flame/torch used for lighting, heat or spark from

friction, molten material, hot material, heat from hot or smoldering objects.

Smoking Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and heat from undetermined smoking materials.

Heating Includes confined chimney or flue fire, fire confined to fuel burner/boiler malfunction,

central heating, fixed and portable local heating units, fireplaces and chimneys,

furnaces, boilers, water heaters as source of heat.

Cooking Includes confined cooking fires, stoves, ovens, fixed and portable warming units,

deep fat fryers, open grills as source of heat.

Appliances Includes televisions, radios, video equipment, phonographs, dryers, washing 

machines, dishwashers, garbage disposals, vacuum cleaners, hand tools, electric 

blankets, irons, hair dryers, electric razors, can openers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps,

water cooling devices, air conditioners, freezers and refrigeration equipment as 

source of heat.

Electrical malfunction Includes electrical distribution, wiring, transformers, meter boxes, power switching 

gear, outlets, cords, plugs, surge protectors, electric fences, lighting fixtures,

electrical arcing as source of heat.

Other equipment Includes special equipment (radar, X-ray, computer, telephone, transmitters, vending 

machine, office machine, pumps, printing press, gardening tools, agricultural

equipment), processing equipment (furnace, kiln, other industrial machines), service, 

maintenance equipment (incinerator, elevator), separate motor or generator, vehicle 

in a structure, unspecified equipment.

Open flame, spark

(heat from)

Includes torches, candles, matches, lighters, open fire, ember, ash, rekindled fire,

backfire from internal combustion engine as source of heat.

Other unintentional, 

careless

Includes misuse of material or product, abandoned or discarded materials or 

products, heat source too close to combustibles, other unintentional (mechanical 

failure/malfunction, backfire).

Equipment 

misoperation, failure

Includes equipment operation deficiency, equipment malfunction.

Unknown Cause of fire undetermined or not reported.

Source: USFA.

28 Fires caused by intentional actions include, but are not limited to, fires that are deemed to be arson. Intentional fires are those fires 

that are deliberately set, and they include fires that result from the deliberate misuse of a heat source and fires of an incendiary nature 

(arson) that require fire service intervention. For information and statistics on arson fires only, refer to the Uniform Crime Reporting 

Program arson statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, https://www.fbi.

gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr.
Methodology 27

Vehicle, Outside and Other Fires

While these new cause categories have usefulness for the other property types — vehicle, outside and 

other fires — there are limitations. USFA plans to investigate and develop specific cause categories for 

vehicle, outside and other fires. Until then, the causes of fires for these property types are based on 

the distributions of the NFIRS cause of ignition data element. This data element captures a very broad 

sense of the cause of the fire.

Deaths, Injuries and Dollar Loss

In previous analyses, the cause sections have included the distributions of deaths, injuries and dollar 

loss by fire cause. In principle, it is the cause of the fire that results in deaths, injuries and dollar loss 

which should be analyzed, not numbers of deaths and injuries associated with fire causes. Therefore, 

analyses of fire cause will address fires that result in deaths (fatal fires), fires that result in injuries, and 

fires that result in dollar loss.

Other Considerations

An additional problem to keep in mind when considering the rank order of causes is that sufficient data 

to categorize the causes were not reported to NFIRS for all fatal fires in the database. The rank order 

of causes might be different than shown here if the cause profile for the fires where causes were not 

reported to NFIRS was substantially different from the profile for the fires where causes were reported. 

However, there is no information available to indicate that there is a major difference between the 

known causes and the unknown causes, so USFA’s present best estimate of fire causes is based on the 

distribution of the fires with known causes.

NFIRS fire causal data can be analyzed in many ways, such as by the heat source, equipment involved 

in ignition, factors contributing to ignition, or many other groupings. The hierarchy of causes has 

proven to be useful in understanding the fire problem and targeting prevention, but other approaches 

are useful too. Because the NFIRS database stores records fire-by-fire, and not just in summary statistics, a wide variety of analyses is possible.

The cause categories displayed in the graphs of USFA’s NFIRS data-related reports are listed in the 

same order to make comparisons easier from one to another. The y-scale varies from figure to figure 

depending on the largest percentage that is shown; the y-scale on a figure with multiple charts, 

however, is always the same.

Differences Between the National Fire Incident Reporting System Data and 

National Fire Protection Association Survey Data

As there are differences between any two analysts using NFIRS data because of the many assumptions and decisions about how to analyze incomplete and imperfect data, there can be inconsistencies 

between different data sources. In particular, there are discrepancies between the NFIRS 5.0 data and 

the NFPA annual survey data. In general, NFIRS 5.0 deaths and injuries per 1,000 fires are lower than 

those of NFPA. With the exception of 2007, 2012 and 2013, NFIRS 5.0 dollar loss per fire was lower 

than that of NFPA.29

29 As NFIRS 5.0 now captures a large number of small, low-loss fires (confined fires) thought to be unreported previously, these 

differences in loss rates per fire may not be surprising.
28 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

From 2009 to 2013, NFIRS collected fire incident data from an average of 20,440 fire departments each 

year.30 The NFPA annual survey of fire departments31 collects data from nearly 3,000 fire departments. 

NFIRS is not a statistically selected sample; however, it is a very large set of fire incidents — estimated 

to be, on average, two-thirds of reported fires. The NFPA survey is based on a statistical sample. These 

two datasets often yield dramatically different fire rates. The NFPA survey collects tallied totals, whereas 

NFIRS collects individual incident reports. The proportion of native NFIRS 5.0 fire data rose from 89 

percent of all NFIRS fire incidents collected in 2004 to 100 percent of all NFIRS fire incidents starting in 

2009 (Table 4). It is not surprising, therefore, that there are differences between the NFPA annual survey 

results and the NFIRS results. In the years examined (2004 to 2013), the common thread was the increase 

in the ratios of NFIRS data to the NFPA estimates. In general, the deaths reported to NFIRS represented a 

smaller fraction of the NFPA national estimate of deaths than the NFIRS number of fires was of the NFPA 

estimate of fires. Estimates of dollar loss are notoriously inexact; it is not surprising that the NFIRS dollar 

loss changed from year to year with respect to NFPA totals (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Ratio of the Raw National Fire Incident Reporting System Sample to National Fire Protection 

Association National Estimates

0.0000

0.1000

0.2000

0.3000

0.4000

0.5000

0.6000

0.7000

0.8000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Fires

Deaths

Injuries

Dollar Loss

Ratio

Year Fires Deaths Injuries Dollar Loss

2004 0.45 0.41 0.44 0.40

2005 0.56 0.47 0.50 0.47

2006 0.58 0.57 0.55 0.54

2007 0.63 0.55 0.53 0.64

2008 0.64 0.59 0.57 0.62

2009 0.67 0.61 0.56 0.57

2010 0.73 0.63 0.59 0.62

2011 0.71 0.67 0.60 0.70

2012 0.65 0.65 0.56 0.65

2013 0.67 0.57 0.56 0.68

Sources: NFPA and NFIRS.

Note:	 The 2007 dollar loss excludes the one-time large loss of an estimated $1.8 billion associated with the 2007 California Fire Storm.

The 2008 dollar loss excludes the one-time large loss of an estimated $1.4 billion associated with the 2008 California Wildfires.

These losses do not have associated property uses. The 2010 dollar loss excludes the Fourmile Canyon Wildfire in Colorado with

an estimated property loss of $217,000,000. The 2012 dollar loss excludes the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado with an estimated 

property loss of $453,700,000, the High Park Fire also in Colorado with an estimated property loss of $113,700,000, and the 

$400,000,000 property damage to the USS Miami (submarine).

30 This figure excludes mutual-aid incidents. 31 “Fire Loss in the United States,” NFPA Journal, generally the September/October issue each year.
Methodology 29

Looking at the problem from a different perspective, Figure 3 shows the number of deaths per 1,000 

fires, injuries per 1,000 fires, and dollar loss per fire from NFIRS and NFPA from 2004 to 2013. In 

general, deaths and injuries per 1,000 fires were lower for NFIRS than for NFPA. With the exception 

of 2007, 2012 and 2013, NFIRS dollar loss per fire was lower than that of NFPA. This difference may 

be the result of more low-loss fires being reported to NFIRS as a result of the abbreviated reporting 

option for these fires.

Figure 3. National Fire Incident Reporting System Versus National Fire Protection Association Survey: 

Losses per Fire

Deaths (per 1,000 fires)

Year NFIRS NFPA

2004 2.26 2.52

2005 1.92 2.29

2006 1.93 1.98

2007 1.92 2.20

2008 2.13 2.29

2009 2.04 2.23

2010 2.02 2.34

2011 2.04 2.16

2012 2.09 2.08

2013 2.21 2.61

Injuries (per 1,000 fires)

Year NFIRS NFPA

2004 11.28 11.53

2005 9.98 11.19

2006 9.48 9.98

2007 9.52 11.35

2008 10.30 11.51

2009 10.65 12.64

2010 10.61 13.31

2011 10.59 12.59

2012 10.47 12.00

2013 10.64 12.84

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

9.0

9.4

9.8

10.2

10.6

11.0

11.4

11.8

12.2

12.6

13.0

13.4

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

NFIRS

NFPA

Deaths (per 1,000 fires)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Injuries (per 1,000 fires)

$6,000

$6,500

$7,000

$7,500

$8,000

$8,500

$9,000

$9,500

$10,000

$10,500

$11,000

$11,500

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Dollar Loss (per fire) Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

NFIRS

NFPA

NFIRS

NFPA
30 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 3. National Fire Incident Reporting System Versus National Fire Protection Association Survey: 

Losses per Fire — Continued

Dollar Loss (per fire)*

Year NFIRS NFPA

2004 6,855 7,790

2005 6,730 7,946

2006 7,439 7,955

2007 9,416 9,262

2008 10,143 10,494

2009 8,590 10,090

2010 7,746 9,128

2011 8,538 8,690

2012 8,551 8,456

2013 9,381 9,294

9.0

9.4

9.8

10.2

10.6

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

$6,000

$6,500

$7,000

$7,500

$8,000

$8,500

$9,000

$9,500

$10,000

$10,500

$11,000

$11,500

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Dollar Loss (per fire) Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

NFIRS

NFPA

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.

Notes:	 The 2007 dollar loss excludes the one-time large loss of an estimated $1.8 billion associated with the 2007 California Fire Storm.

The 2008 dollar loss excludes the one-time large loss of an estimated $1.4 billion associated with the 2008 California Wildfires.

These losses do not have associated property uses. The 2010 dollar loss excludes the Fourmile Canyon Wildfire in Colorado with

an estimated property loss of $217,000,000. The 2012 dollar loss excludes the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado with an estimated 

property loss of $453,700,000, the High Park Fire also in Colorado with an estimated property loss of $113,700,000, and the 

$400,000,000 property damage to the USS Miami (submarine). 

* Adjusted to 2013 dollars.

Between 2004 and 2013, NFIRS had, on average, a difference of 10 percent fewer fire deaths per 1,000 

fires than the NFPA survey data. Annually, the NFIRS percent differences of fire deaths per 1,000 fires 

ranged from 0.6 percent higher to 16 percent lower than that of NFPA. In 2013, NFIRS showed 15 

percent fewer fire deaths per 1,000 fires than NFPA.

Injuries per 1,000 fires revealed a greater disparity between the two datasets. On average, between 2004 

and 2013, NFIRS had a difference of 13 percent fewer fire injuries per 1,000 fires than the NFPA survey.

On average over the 10-year period, the NFIRS dollar loss per fire was 6 percent lower than that of the 

NFPA survey. In 2008 and 2011, NFIRS dollar loss was only 3 percent and 2 percent lower, respectively, 

than the dollar loss estimates from the NFPA survey, but a much greater disparity was revealed in 

2005 (15 percent), 2009 (15 percent), and 2010 (15 percent). In 2007, 2 percent more dollar loss was 

reported to NFIRS per fire than that reflected by the NFPA survey estimates; for each of the years 2012 

and 2013, about 1 percent more dollar loss was reported to NFIRS per fire.

Other minor differences appear when reviewing losses by general property type as shown in Figure 4. 

Specifically, the distributions of fires across property types between NFIRS and NFPA were quite 

similar, which is reassuring. Over the 10-year period, the proportions of structure fires (both residential and nonresidential) and outside and other fires were higher in the NFIRS reported data, while the 

proportion of vehicle fires represented by the NFPA estimate was higher than what was reported to 

NFIRS. Regardless of the specifics, the distributions were reasonably comparable.
Methodology 31

Figure 4. Comparison of National Fire Incident Reporting System Data with National Fire Protection 

Association Estimates by General Property Type (10-year average, 2004-2013)

Fires

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0

Percent Percent

Outside

and Other

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

14.3

49.2

28.5

27.3

8.1

7.4

16.6

48.8

NFIRS

NFPA

Injuries

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0

Percent Percent

Outside

 and Other

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

6.7

8.1

79.1

8.1

8.5

7.9

4.5

Deaths

Outside

 and Other

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

4.4

75.3

84.1

3.6

2.6

11.7

1.6

Dollar Loss (Adjusted to 2013 Dollars)

Outside

 and Other

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

23.4

77.1

16.7

55.3

26.5

NFIRS

NFPA

NFIRS

NFPA

NFIRS

NFPA

10.7

12.0

3.8

7.4

60.9

Sources: NFPA and NFIRS.

The deaths, injuries and dollar losses that resulted from these fires were consistently more heavily 

represented in residential structures in the NFPA estimates. For the other major property categories 

(except vehicular fire injuries and dollar loss and nonresidential structure fire injuries), the NFPA 

percentages of losses were consistently less than those resulting from NFIRS data.

One of the more important consequences of these distributions is in the creation of estimates of the 

various parts of the U.S. fire problem. For example, it is noted that the 2013 NFPA residential structure 

fire estimates reflect 86 percent of fire deaths (2,785 of 3,240) and 79 percent of fire injuries (12,575 

of 15,925). If the 2013 NFIRS percentages for residential structure fire deaths (76 percent) and injuries 

(78 percent) were applied to the overall 2013 NFPA estimates, the estimates would yield nearly 2,480 

deaths and 12,415 injuries in residential structures, both of which are less than the NFPA estimates.

The reasons for these differences in distributions between NFPA and NFIRS are not known. It may be 

that some departments reporting summary data to NFPA inadvertently undercount their casualties and 

losses when reporting on the NFPA survey forms. Another possibility is that there are data entry errors 

in NFIRS, with larger numbers of deaths, injuries and dollar loss per incident record being entered into 

the database despite edit checks at state and federal levels. (It appears that at least some of the dollar 

loss difference is due to this.)
32 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

A third possibility for the differences is that with the introduction of abbreviated reporting of small, 

low- or no-loss confined fires in NFIRS, the NFPA sample of these fires is not adequately represented. It 

is known that, prior to abbreviated NFIRS reporting, some departments did not fill out NFIRS forms for 

minor fires, such as food on stoves or chimney fires. It is not clear whether these fires were included in 

the department’s report to NFPA and whether this reporting has changed. Also unknown is the actual 

extent of this problem.

A fourth possibility is that some jurisdictions use NFIRS as a tracking system for fire casualty information without providing the related incident data or vice versa. We know that this possibility does 

indeed occur from time to time in NFIRS. Again, we are unsure of how these incidents and their 

corresponding losses are reported to NFPA.

Lastly, it could be that techniques used to generate the NFPA estimates unintentionally favor residential 

buildings or that NFIRS, because it is a voluntary system and not a true statistical sample, may result 

in fewer residential losses.

Resolving the differences between the two major sources of fire statistics in the U.S. is important to 

prevent confusion among users of the data.

ORGANIZATION OF REPORT

This report presents an overview of the national fire problem in terms of estimates of the total numbers 

of fires, deaths, injuries, and dollar loss (the four principal measures used to describe the fire problem) 

as well as 10-year trends. It also provides an overview and 10-year trends of building (residential and 

nonresidential) fires and losses. Trends in vehicle and other mobile properties and outside and other 

properties are also analyzed. Additionally, the report covers causes of fires and fires resulting in losses, 

as well as fire casualties in terms of death and injury rates and relative risk.
The National Fire Problem 33

The National Fire Problem

Fire departments in the U.S. responded to nearly 1.2 million fire calls in 2013.32 The U.S. fire problem 

no longer ranks as the most severe of the industrialized nations, yet each year thousands of Americans 

die, tens of thousands of people are injured, and property losses reach billions of dollars. Falling from 

among the top three nations in terms of the fire death rate two decades ago, the U.S. now has the 12th 

highest fire death rate out of the 28 industrialized nations examined by the World Fire Statistics Centre.33

Nonetheless, the U.S. continues to experience fire death rates 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than those of most 

of its sister nations.34 Many Americans are not aware of this or of the nature of the fire problem.

There are huge indirect costs of fire as well — temporary lodging, lost business revenues, medical 

expenses, psychological damage, and others. To put this in context, the annual losses from floods, 

hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters combined in the U.S. average just a 

fraction of those from fires.35

FIRES AND LOSSES (10-YEAR TRENDS, 2004-2013)

Over the 10 years from 2004 to 2013, the U.S. had an annual average of 1,448,900 fires resulting in 

3,280 civilian deaths, 17,125 civilian injuries, and $12 billion in direct property loss each year.36 In 

terms of estimates of fires, fire deaths and fire injuries, the estimates are lower than they were 10 years 

ago. When USFA was established in 1974, annual fire deaths were estimated at 12,000.37 The goal was 

to reduce deaths by 50 percent within 25 years; that goal was met. By 2012, estimates of civilian fire 

deaths were at their lowest level (2,855). While fire deaths are still trending downward, in 2013, estimates of fire deaths were 13 percent higher than they were in 2012.

Figure 5 shows the 10-year trends for all fires and losses from 2004 to 2013. Fires declined by 22 

percent over the 10 years, reaching a new low in 2013. Trends in fire-related deaths, injuries and dollar 

loss also declined by 21 percent, 7 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

32 NFPA, “Fire Loss in the United States During 2013,” September 2014.

33 The Geneva Association, “World Fire Statistics,” Bulletin, Number 29, April 2014, https://www.genevaassociation.org/

media/874729/ga2014-wfs29.pdf. Note: Belgium was excluded from this review, as only its 2004 fire death rates were available. 34 The Geneva Association, “World Fire Statistics,” Bulletin, Number 29, April 2014, https://www.genevaassociation.org/

media/874729/ga2014-wfs29.pdf. As reported, the U.S. had a fire death rate of 1.11 fire deaths per 100,000 population for 2008 to 

2010; the Netherlands had the lowest comparable European fire death rate at 0.46 per 100,000 population. Switzerland’s fire death rate 

was lower still at 0.34, but it excluded firefighter deaths.

35 NWS, National Hazard Statistics, 2013: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/sum13.pdf. 36 Annual average estimates are based on NFPA estimates of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss. Fires are rounded to the nearest 100; 

deaths to the nearest five; injuries to the nearest 25; and dollar loss to the nearest billion dollars.

37 NFPA changed their estimation methodology in the mid-1970s. As a result, by 1977, the estimate of fire deaths had already dropped to 

approximately 7,400 and rose the next year to 7,700. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that the 50 percent reduction in fire deaths was achieved.
34 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 5. Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 1,550.5

2005 1,602.0

2006 1,642.5

2007 1,557.5

2008 1,451.5

2009 1,348.5

2010 1,331.5

2011 1,389.5

2012 1,375.0

2013 1,240.0

10-year trend (%) -21.6%

Deaths

Year Value

2004 3,900

2005 3,675

2006 3,245

2007 3,430

2008 3,320

2009 3,010

2010 3,120

2011 3,005

2012 2,855

2013 3,240

10-year trend (%) -21.0%

Injuries

Year Value

2004 17,875

2005 17,925

2006 16,400

2007 17,675

2008 16,705

2009 17,050

2010 17,720

2011 17,500

2012 16,500

2013 15,925

10-year trend (%) -6.6%

1,200

1,250

1,300

1,350

1,400

1,450

1,500

1,550

1,600

1,650

1,700

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Fires (in thousands)

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

15,500

16,000

16,500

17,000

17,500

18,000

18,500

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Fire Deaths

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Fire Injuries

$16.0

$18.0

Fire Dollar Loss

(in $B)

Adjusted
The National Fire Problem 35

Figure 5. Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Dollar Loss ($B)

Year Actual

Adjusted 

to 2013 

Dollars

2004 $9.8 $12.1

2005 $10.7 $12.7

2006 $11.3 $13.1

2007 $14.6 $16.4

2008 $15.5 $16.7

2009 $12.5 $13.6

2010 $11.6 $12.4

2011 $11.7 $12.1

2012 $12.4 $12.6

2013 $11.5 $11.5

10-year 

trend (%) 

8.2% -10.1%

15,500

16,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

$8.0

$10.0

$12.0

$14.0

$16.0

$18.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

(in $B)

Fire Dollar Loss (Actual)

Trend (Actual)

Fire Dollar Loss (Adjusted)

Trend (Adjusted)

Adjusted

Actual

Sources: NFPA and CPI.

FIRE LOSS RATES (2004-2013)

Figure 6 shows the 10-year trends in the rates per million population for all fires and associated losses 

from 2004 to 2013. Fires per million population reached a new low in 2013, continuing the downward 

trend. In 2013, the fire death rate was less than a third of what it was in the late 1970s.38 Deaths and 

injuries per million population continued to decline by 27 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Dollar 

loss per capita decreased 16 percent over the 10 years when adjusted for inflation.

Figure 6. Fire Loss Rates (2004-2013)

Fires per Million Population

Year Value

2004 5,295.3

2005 5,421.0

2006 5,504.7

2007 5,170.4

2008 4,773.2

2009 4,395.8

2010 4,304.2

2011 4,457.5

2012 4,377.4

2013 3,917.9

10-year trend (%) -27.6%

3,500.0

3,750.0

4,000.0

4,250.0

4,500.0

4,750.0

5,000.0

5,250.0

5,500.0

5,750.0

6,000.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Fires per Million Population

9.0

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

Fire Deaths

Trend

Fire Deaths per Million Population

38 In 1979, the fire death rate was 34.8 deaths per million population as cited in USFA’s “America Burning Revisited,” 1987, p. 15.
36 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 6. Fire Loss Rates (2004-2013) — Continued

Deaths per Million Population

Year Value

2004 13.3

2005 12.4

2006 10.9

2007 11.4

2008 10.9

2009 9.8

2010 10.1

2011 9.6

2012 9.1

2013 10.2

10-year trend (%) -27.3%

Injuries per Million Population

Year Value

2004 61.0

2005 60.7

2006 55.0

2007 58.7

2008 54.9

2009 55.6

2010 57.3

2011 56.1

2012 52.5

2013 50.3

10-year trend (%) -13.7%

Dollar Loss per Capita

Year Actual 

Value

Adjusted 

to 2013 

Dollars

2004 $33.4 $41.2

2005 $36.1 $43.1

2006 $37.9 $43.8

2007 $48.6 $54.6

2008 $50.9 $55.1

2009 $40.8 $44.4

2010 $37.5 $40.0

2011 $37.4 $38.7

2012 $39.6 $40.1

2013 $36.4 $36.4

10-year 

trend (%) 

0.7% -16.4%

3,500.0

3,750.0

4,000.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Fire Deaths per Million Population

48.0

50.0

52.0

54.0

56.0

58.0

60.0

62.0

64.0

66.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Fire Injuries per Million Population 

$0.0

$10.0

$20.0

$30.0

$40.0

$50.0

$60.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss (Actual)

Trend (Actual)

Fire Dollar Loss (Adjusted)

Trend (Adjusted)

Fire Dollar Loss per Capita

Adjusted

Actual

Sources: NFPA, CPI and U.S. Census Bureau.
The National Fire Problem 37

TYPES OF PROPERTIES WHERE FIRES OCCUR

This section describes the proportions of the fire problem by general property type: residential structures, nonresidential structures, vehicles, outside properties, and other or unknown properties.

Fires and Fire Losses by General Property Type (2013)

Figure 7 describes the proportions of the fire problem in 2013 by general property type. Over the 

years, there has been little change in the proportion of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss by the type 

of property involved. In terms of numbers of fires, the largest category continued to be outside fires 

(39 percent) — in fields, vacant lots, trash, etc. Many of these fires were intentionally set but did not 

cause much damage. Residential and nonresidential structure fires together constituted 40 percent of 

fires, with residential structure fires outnumbering nonresidential structure fires by over 3 to 1. What 

may surprise some is the large proportion of vehicle fires. In fact, nearly 1 out of every 7 fires to which 

fire departments responded involved a vehicle.

The largest percentage of deaths by far, 77 percent in 2013, occurred on residential properties, with 

the majority of these on one- and two-family properties. Vehicles accounted for the second largest 

percentage of fire deaths at 15 percent. Only 4 percent of the 2013 fire deaths occurred in nonresidential commercial and public properties. Outside and other miscellaneous fires, including wildfires, were 

also a small factor (4 percent combined) in fire deaths.

Great attention is given to large, multiple-death fires in public places, such as hotels, nightclubs and 

office buildings; however, fires that kill 10 or more people are few in number and constitute only a 

small portion of overall fire deaths. Furthermore, public properties are generally required by local 

codes to have built-in fire suppression systems. The area with the largest problem is where it is least 

suspected — in people’s homes. Prevention efforts continue to focus on home fire safety.

The picture generally was similar for fire injuries, with 78 percent of all injuries occurring on 

residential properties. The remaining fire injuries were distributed across the other property 

types — nonresidential properties, 7 percent; vehicles, 7 percent; and outside and other fires, 

8 percent combined.

The picture changes somewhat for dollar loss. While residential properties were the leading property 

type for dollar loss, nonresidential properties played a considerable role. These two general property 

types accounted for 83 percent of all dollar loss. The proportion of dollar loss from outside fires may 

be understated because the destruction of trees, grass, etc., is often given zero value in fire incident 

reports if it is not commercial cropland or timber.

Figure 7. Fires and Fire Losses by General Property Type (2013)

Fires by General Property Type (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

14.5

31.7

8.6

39.3

Fire Deaths by General Property Type (2013)

Residential

765

Percent

5.9
38 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 7. Fires and Fire Losses by General Property Type (2013) — Continued

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Other

Fire Injuries by General Property Type (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

3.3

Fire Deaths by General Property Type (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

2.3

76.5

3.8

2.1

78.0

15.3

Percent

Percent

Percent

Fire Dollar Loss by General Property Type (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

12.1

1.8

55.0

3.0

28.1

Percent

5.9

6.9

6.8

5.1

Source: NFIRS.

Note:	 Total for fire injuries by general property type does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
The National Fire Problem 39

Fire Casualties and Dollar Loss per Fire by General Property Type (2013)

Figure 8 shows fire deaths and injuries per 1,000 fires and dollar loss per fire in 2013 by general property type: residential structures, nonresidential structures, vehicles, outside properties, and other or 

unknown properties. These indicators represent the severity of fires, but they are somewhat ambiguous 

because they can increase if there are more casualties or damage per fire (the numerators) or if fewer 

minor fires are reported (the denominators).

Residential fires had the highest numbers of deaths and injuries per 1,000 fires — another important 

reason for prevention programs to focus on home fire safety. Nonresidential structure fires had the 

highest dollar loss per fire.

Figure 8. Fire Casualties and Dollar Loss per Fire by General Property Type (2013)

Fire Deaths per 1,000 Fires (2013)

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

2.3

5.3

1.0

0.1

Dollar Loss per Fire (2013)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

0.7

Fire Injuries per 1,000 Fires (2013)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

0.9

26.2

16.3

5.0

Deaths per 1,000 Fires

Injuries per 1,000 Fires

0.8

30.7

7.8

2.8

8.5

9.1
40 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 8. Fire Casualties and Dollar Loss per Fire by General Property Type (2013) — Continued

Dollar Loss per Fire (2013)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Nonresidential

Residential

0.7

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0

Other

16.3

Dollar Loss per Fire (in thousands of dollars)

Injuries per 1,000 Fires

30.7

7.8

2.8

9.1

Source: NFIRS.

BUILDINGS AND OTHER PROPERTIES

This section provides an overview of the fire problem in buildings, vehicles, and other mobile properties over the 10-year period from 2004 to 2013.

Buildings

The analysis of building fires is presented in two major sections: residential (including one- and 

two-family dwellings, multifamily dwellings, and other residential buildings) and nonresidential 

(including industrial and commercial properties, institutions, educational establishments, mobile 

properties, and storage properties).

Residential Building Fires and Losses

The term “residential buildings” includes what are commonly referred to as “homes,” whether they 

are one- and two-family dwellings or multifamily buildings. It also includes manufactured housing, 

hotels and motels, residential hotels, dormitories, assisted living facilities, and halfway houses — residences for formerly institutionalized individuals (mentally impaired patients, drug addicts, or convicts) 

that are designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life. The term “residential buildings” does 

not include institutions such as prisons, nursing homes, juvenile care facilities, or hospitals, though 

many people may reside in them for short or long periods of time.

The residential building portion of the fire problem continues to account for the vast majority of civilian 

casualties. National estimates show that on average from 2004 to 2013, 95 percent of residential structure 

fires, 96 percent of associated deaths, 97 percent of injuries, and 95 percent of dollar losses reported to 

NFIRS occurred in residential buildings. Because the majority of structure fires and losses occurred in 

buildings, the remainder of the residential analyses will focus on building fires and their associated losses.
The National Fire Problem 41

All Residential Buildings

Overall, residential buildings include one- and two-family, multifamily, and other residential buildings.39 Annually, from 2004 to 2013, there were an estimated 376,500 residential building fires. Because 

these fires resulted in an annual average of 2,650 civilian deaths, 13,150 injuries, and $7.5 billion in 

property loss (adjusted to 2013 dollars) over the 10 years, the fire problem in U.S. residences is of 

significant concern.40

Figure 9 shows the 10-year trends for the overall residential building fires and losses. From 2004 to 

2013, trends in residential building fires and losses showed a 5 percent decrease in fires, a 14 percent 

decrease in deaths, a 3 percent decrease in injuries, and an 8 percent decrease in dollar loss.

Figure 9. Trends in Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 389.8

2005 376.5

2006 392.7

2007 390.3

2008 378.2

2009 356.2

2010 362.1

2011 364.5

2012 374.0

2013 380.3

10-year trend (%) -5.0%

Deaths

Year Value

2004 3,050

2005 2,895

2006 2,490

2007 2,765

2008 2,650

2009 2,480

2010 2,555

2011 2,450

2012 2,385

2013 2,755

10-year trend (%) -13.9%

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Residential Building Fires (in thousands)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Residential Building Fire Deaths

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

Residential Building Fire Injuries

39 USFA’s three topical reports that explore facets of the current residential building fire problem, “Residential Building Fires (2011-

2013),” “One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires (2011-2013),” and “Multifamily Building Fires (2011-2013),” are available at 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/reports.html. 40 USFA’s Residential Building Fires Estimate Summary Series (2004-2013) is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

downloads/pdf/statistics/res_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf. To download an Excel file of residential building fire and fire loss estimates by 

property use and cause, please visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/order_download_data.html (located under the section 

“Download select data sets”).
42 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 9. Trends in Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Injuries

Year Value

2004 13,650

2005 13,375

2006 12,550

2007 13,525

2008 13,100

2009 12,600

2010 13,275

2011 13,900

2012 13,050

2013 12,450

10-year trend (%) -3.1%

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $6,961

2005 $7,749

2006 $7,769

2007 $8,041

2008 $8,679

2009 $7,883

2010 $7,101

2011 $6,889

2012 $7,207

2013 $6,876

10-year trend (%) -8.4%

0

500

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

$0.0

$2,000.0

$4,000.0

$6,000.0

$8,000.0

$10,000.0

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Residential Building Fire Injuries

200920082007200620052004 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Residential Building Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.

One- and Two-Family Residential Buildings

One- and two-family dwellings are where 74 percent of the people in the U.S. reside.41 The residential 

building fire profile is, therefore, dominated by this category. One- and two-family residential buildings include detached dwellings, manufactured homes, mobile homes not in transit, and duplexes.

From 2004 to 2013, one- and two-family residential building fires accounted for 65 percent of all 

residential building fires and dominated the overall residential building fire profile. Trends in one- and 

two-family dwellings showed a 6 percent decrease in fires, a 13 percent decrease in deaths, a 9 percent 

decrease in injuries, and a 9 percent decrease in dollar loss from 2004 to 2013 (Figure 10).

41 The U.S. Census Bureau shows that, in 2013, 75.8 percent of occupied housing units were one-unit attached and detached structures or mobile homes (87.9 million) (http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/2013/ahs-2013-summary-tables/

national-summary-report-and-tables---ahs-2013.html, Table C-01-AH for occupied housing). Household size was estimated at 2.65 

people per household (http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_GCT1105.

US01PR&prodType=table, Average Household Size U.S. — States and Puerto Rico, 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates). 

Thus, 87.9 million housing units x 2.65 people per household = 232.9 million people. With the 2013 U.S. population given as 316.5 

million, (http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/totals/2014/index.html, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the 

U.S., Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 (NST-EST2014-01)), approximately 73.6 percent of the population 

lived in what NFIRS defines as one- and two-family housing.
The National Fire Problem 43

Figure 10. Trends in One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 254.6

2005 245.9

2006 253.8

2007 260.7

2008 250.4

2009 234.1

2010 236.9

2011 237.7

2012 242.7

2013 244.7

10-year trend (%) -6.0%

Deaths

Year Value

2004 2,485

2005 2,225

2006 1,925

2007 2,285

2008 2,160

2009 1,965

2010 2,025

2011 1,945

2012 1,885

2013 2,250

10-year trend (%) -13.0%

Injuries

Year Value

2004 9,275

2005 8,950

2006 8,225

2007 9,125

2008 8,400

2009 8,125

2010 8,525

2011 8,925

2012 8,300

2013 7,975

10-year trend (%) -9.0%

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires (in thousands)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fire Deaths

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fire Injuries

$6,000.0

$7,000.0

One- and Two-Family Residential Building 

Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*
44 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 10. Trends in One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) 

— Continued

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $5,354

2005 $5,957

2006 $5,984

2007 $6,466

2008 $6,663

2009 $6,189

2010 $5,647

2011 $5,316

2012 $5,614

2013 $5,189

10-year trend (%) -9.1%

0

2,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

$0.0

$1,000.0

$2,000.0

$3,000.0

$4,000.0

$5,000.0

$6,000.0

$7,000.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

One- and Two-Family Residential Building 

Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.

Multifamily Residential Buildings

Multifamily residential buildings include structures such as apartments, town houses, row houses, 

condominiums, and other tenement properties. Many multifamily dwellings are rental properties, 

which often fall under more stringent fire prevention statutes and tend to be regulated by stricter 

building codes. From 2004 to 2013, multifamily residential building fires accounted for 28 percent of 

all residential building fires responded to by fire departments across the nation.

From 2004 to 2013, trends in multifamily dwellings showed a 5 percent decrease in fires, a 16 percent 

decrease in deaths, a 15 percent increase in injuries, and a 7 percent decrease in dollar loss (Figure 11). 

The increase in multifamily dwelling fire injuries is surprising given that multifamily buildings tend 

to have stricter building codes, including the presence of smoke alarms and sprinkler systems.

Figure 11. Trends in Multifamily Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 111.7

2005 107.0

2006 113.9

2007 104.6

2008 104.1

2009 100.2

2010 102.7

2011 102.8

2012 106.0

2013 109.3

10-year trend (%) -4.7%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Multifamily Residential Building Fires (in thousands)

400

500

600

Multifamily Residential Building Fire Deaths
The National Fire Problem 45

Figure 11. Trends in Multifamily Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Deaths

Year Value

2004 425

2005 510

2006 445

2007 405

2008 395

2009 375

2010 425

2011 390

2012 400

2013 390

10-year trend (%) -15.9%

Injuries

Year Value

2004 3,775

2005 3,800

2006 3,725

2007 3,875

2008 4,200

2009 4,050

2010 4,250

2011 4,450

2012 4,325

2013 3,975

10-year trend (%) 14.6%

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $1,298

2005 $1,422

2006 $1,351

2007 $1,243

2008 $1,456

2009 $1,341

2010 $1,169

2011 $1,271

2012 $1,258

2013 $1,326

10-year trend (%) -6.6%

0

20

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Multifamily Residential Building Fire Deaths

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Multifamily Residential Building Fire Injuries

$0.0

$200.0

$400.0

$600.0

$800.0

$1,000.0

$1,200.0

$1,400.0

$1,600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Multifamily Residential Building Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.
46 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Other Residential Buildings

Other residential buildings include rooming houses, dormitories, residential hotels, halfway houses, 

hotels and motels, and miscellaneous and unclassified buildings reported as residences. This category 

does not include nursing homes, prisons or other institutions; these categories are addressed as part of 

nonresidential buildings. Trends in other residential buildings showed a 5 percent increase in fires, a 

22 percent decrease in deaths, a 25 percent decrease in injuries, and a 5 percent decrease in dollar loss 

from 2004 to 2013 (Figure 12).

Figure 12. Trends in Other Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 23.5

2005 23.7

2006 25.0

2007 25.0

2008 23.7

2009 21.8

2010 22.5

2011 24.0

2012 25.3

2013 26.2

10-year trend (%) 4.9%

Deaths

Year Value

2004 140

2005 160

2006 125

2007 80

2008 90

2009 140

2010 105

2011 115

2012 100

2013 120

10-year trend (%) -21.7%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Other Residential Building Fires (in thousands)

0

40

80

120

160

200

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Other Residential Building Fire Deaths

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Fire Injuries

Trend

Other Residential Building Fire Injuries
The National Fire Problem 47

Figure 12. Trends in Other Residential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Injuries

Year Value

2004 600

2005 600

2006 600

2007 525

2008 525

2009 425

2010 500

2011 525

2012 425

2013 500

10-year trend (%) -24.5%

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $309.4

2005 $370.1

2006 $344.5

2007 $332.9

2008 $560.0

2009 $352.5

2010 $285.8

2011 $301.9

2012 $335.7

2013 $360.7

10-year trend (%) -5.1%

0

40

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Other Residential Building Fire Injuries

$0.0

$100.0

$200.0

$300.0

$400.0

$500.0

$600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Other Residential Building Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.

Nonresidential Buildings

The nonresidential building category includes industrial and commercial properties, institutions (such 

as hospitals, nursing homes and prisons), educational establishments (from preschool through university), mobile properties, and storage properties. On average, about 89 percent of nonresidential structure fires, 88 percent of deaths, 91 percent of injuries, and 92 percent of dollar losses reported to NFIRS 

from 2004 to 2013 occurred in nonresidential buildings.

National estimates of nonresidential building fires and losses, from 2004 to 2013, annually accounted 

for only 7 percent of fires, 2 percent of deaths, and 8 percent of injuries. These properties, however, 

accounted for a disproportionately large annual dollar loss, 21 percent.42 Trends in nonresidential 

buildings showed a 14 percent decrease in fires, a 9 percent increase in deaths, a 7 percent increase in 

injuries, and a 10 percent decrease in dollar loss from 2004 to 2013 (Figure 13).

42 USFA’s Nonresidential Building Fires Estimate Summary Series (2004-2013) is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

downloads/pdf/statistics/nonres_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf. To download an Excel file of nonresidential building fire and fire loss estimates by property use and cause, please visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/order_download_data.html (located under 

the section “Download select data sets”).
48 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 13. Trends in Nonresidential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 101.9

2005 101.4

2006 98.9

2007 103.0

2008 97.1

2009 89.2

2010 84.9

2011 85.4

2012 92.8

2013 93.7

10-year trend (%) -14.1%

Deaths

Year Value

2004 70

2005 40

2006 75

2007 90

2008 100

2009 90

2010 80

2011 80

2012 65

2013 65

10-year trend (%) 8.7%

Injuries

Year Value

2004 1,200

2005 1,400

2006 1,350

2007 1,275

2008 1,250

2009 1,500

2010 1,375

2011 1,100

2012 1,450

2013 1,425

10-year trend (%) 7.1%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Nonresidential Building Fires (in thousands)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Nonresidential Building Fire Deaths

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Nonresidential Building Fire Injuries

$3,000.0

$3,500.0

$4,000.0

Nonresidential Building Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*
The National Fire Problem 49

Figure 13. Trends in Nonresidential Building Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $2,631

2005 $2,549

2006 $2,709

2007 $3,222

2008 $3,735

2009 $2,996

2010 $2,565

2011 $2,523

2012 $2,508

2013 $2,461

10-year trend (%) -10.1%

0

200

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

$0.0

$500.0

$1,000.0

$1,500.0

$2,000.0

$2,500.0

$3,000.0

$3,500.0

$4,000.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Nonresidential Building Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA, NFIRS and CPI.

Note: The NFPA estimate of dollar loss in 2008 reflects three industrial property incidents that resulted in $775 million in property damage.

Vehicles and Other Mobile Properties

Overall, mobile properties are comprised of vehicles and other mobile properties, which include 

passenger vehicles, construction vehicles, motor homes, recreational vehicles, farm machinery, trains, 

boats, ships and aircraft. Vehicle fires accounted for a larger portion of the fire problem than many 

people realize. In 2013, vehicles accounted for 15 percent of fire deaths overall, 7 percent of fire injuries, 12 percent of dollar losses, and 15 percent of all reported fires — nearly 1 in every 7 fires.43

Figures 14 and 15 show the 10-year trends for mobile property fires and losses. Trends in overall 

mobile property fires and losses declined over the 10 years. Figure 15 shows that the vast majority of 

mobile property fires and losses are from highway vehicles. Trends in highway vehicles showed a 41 

percent decrease in fires, a 52 percent decrease in deaths, a 30 percent decrease in injuries, and a 14 

percent decrease in dollar loss adjusted for inflation.

Figure 14. Trends in Mobile Property Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Value

2004 297.0

2005 290.0

2006 278.0

2007 258.0

2008 236.0

2009 219.0

2010 215.5

2011 219.0

2012 202.5

2013 188.0

10-year trend (%) -37.5%

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

Mobile Property Fires (in thousands)

4000

500.0

600.0

Mobile Property Fire Deaths

43 When there are fatalities associated with a mobile property accident, such as a collision between two cars, it is often difficult to 

determine whether the fatalities were the result of the mechanical forces or the fire that ensued. Because of the very large number of 

vehicle fatalities occurring in this country each year and the frequency of fires associated with these accidents, there can be a substantial error in estimating the total number of fire deaths if this issue is not carefully addressed. A fire fatality should be counted only if 

a person was trapped and killed by the fire, rather than killed on impact and subsequently exposed to the fire.
50 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 14. Trends in Mobile Property Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Deaths

Year Value

2004 550

2005 520

2006 490

2007 385

2008 365

2009 280

2010 310

2011 300

2012 325

2013 320

10-year trend (%) -50.0%

Injuries

Year Value

2004 1,500

2005 1,650

2006 1,200

2007 1,675

2008 1,065

2009 1,610

2010 1,590

2011 1,190

2012 975

2013 1,050

10-year trend (%) -29.4%

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Value

2004 $1,608.1

2005 $1,572.1

2006 $1,524.2

2007 $1,585.3

2008 $1,616.5

2009 $1,477.9

2010 $1,470.0

2011 $1,398.1

2012 $1,864.9

2013 $1,392.0

10-year trend (%) -3.5%

0.0

50.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fires

Trend

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Deaths

Trend

Mobile Property Fire Deaths

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Injuries

Trend

Mobile Property Fire Injuries

$1,200.0

$1,300.0

$1,400.0

$1,500.0

$1,600.0

$1,700.0

$1,800.0

$1,900.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Mobile Property Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Sources: NFPA and CPI.

Note:	 The 2012 spike in dollar loss reflects the $400,000,000 property damage to the USS Miami (submarine).
The National Fire Problem 51

Figure 15. Trends in Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year

Highway 

Vehicle 

Value

Other 

Mobile 

Value

2004 266.5 30.5

2005 259.0 31.0

2006 250.0 28.0

2007 227.5 30.5

2008 207.0 29.0

2009 190.5 28.5

2010 184.5 31.0

2011 187.5 31.5

2012 172.5 30.0

2013 164.0 24.0

10-year 

trend (%) 

-40.9% -8.4%

Deaths

Year

Highway 

Vehicle 

Value

Other 

Mobile 

Value

2004 520 30

2005 500 20

2006 445 45

2007 365 20

2008 350 15

2009 260 20

2010 285 25

2011 270 30

2012 300 25

2013 300 20

10-year 

trend (%) 

-51.6% -21.4%

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Highway Vehicle Fires

Trend

Other Mobile Property Fires

Trend

Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fires 

(in thousands)

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

400.0

450.0

500.0

550.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fire Deaths

0.0

200.0

400.0

600.0

800.0

1,000.0

1,200.0

1,400.0

1,600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fire Injuries

Highway Vehicle

Other Mobile Property

Highway Vehicle 

Fire Deaths

Trend

Other Mobile 

Property Fire Deaths

Trend

Highway Vehicle Fire Injuries

Trend

Other Mobile Property Fire Injuries

Trend

Highway Vehicle

Other Mobile Property

Highway Vehicle

Other Mobile Property
52 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 15. Trends in Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) 

— Continued

Injuries

Year

Highway 

Vehicle 

Value

Other 

Mobile 

Value

2004 1,300 200

2005 1,450 200

2006 1,075 125

2007 1,500 175

2008 850 215

2009 1,455 155

2010 1,440 150

2011 1,020 170

2012 800 175

2013 925 125

10-year 

trend (%) 

-30.4% -21.8%

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year

Highway 

Vehicle 

Value

Other 

Mobile 

Value

2004 $1,195.0 $413.1

2005 $1,251.3 $320.9

2006 $1,134.7 $389.4

2007 $1,215.7 $369.6

2008 $1,262.7 $353.8

2009 $1,144.5 $333.4

2010 $1,054.4 $415.6

2011 $1,052.2 $345.9

2012 $1,110.0 $754.9

2013 $1,060.0 $332.0

10-year 

trend (%) 

-14.2% 35.1%

0.0

50.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

0.0

200.0

400.0

600.0

800.0

1,000.0

1,200.0

1,400.0

1,600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fire Injuries

$0.0

$200.0

$400.0

$600.0

$800.0

$1,000.0

$1,200.0

$1,400.0

$1,600.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Highway Vehicle Versus Other Mobile Property Fire Dollar Loss 

(in $M)*

Highway Vehicle Fire Injuries

Trend

Other Mobile Property Fire Injuries

Trend

Highway Vehicle Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Other Mobile Property Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Highway Vehicle

Other Mobile Property

Highway Vehicle

Other Mobile Property

Sources: NFPA and CPI.

Note:	 The 2012 spike in dollar loss for other mobile property fires reflects the $400,000,000 property damage to the USS Miami

(submarine).

Outside and Other Properties

The “Outside and Other Properties” category includes all fires that did not occur in buildings, other 

structures or vehicles. In NFIRS terminology, this includes fires that occurred outside of structures, 

either where the burning material had a value or where the fires were confined to trees, brush, grass 

or refuse. A subset of outside fires is wildland fires. Grouped in the “Other” category are fires that were 

not specifically classified or were considered to be outside gas or vapor combustion incidents.
The National Fire Problem 53

Outside and other fires constituted roughly half of all fires. These numbers may not, however, reflect 

the true nature of the problem because of under-reporting and the difficulty in setting a price tag on 

outside fires. Also, many wildland fires are not reported to agencies reporting to NFIRS or to the NFPA 

annual survey.

Figure 16 shows the 10-year trends for outside and other property type fires and losses. The numbers 

of reported outside fires alone were enormous — averaging 599,100 over the 10-year period. The 

“Other” category of fires added, on average, an additional 107,400 fires to this already large number. 

Over 10 years, an average of 55 deaths resulted each year from outside fires plus the miscellaneous 

other properties not covered elsewhere; injuries averaged 775. Although deaths showed an upward 

trend of 42 percent, this is due primarily to the fluctuations in the small numbers of deaths; injuries 

showed a downward trend of 13 percent. Dollar loss for only outside properties increased an enormous 254 percent, largely due to several large-loss incidents in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.44 Without 

those fires, dollar loss from outside fires still increased 131 percent over the 10 years.

Estimating dollar loss for these fires is difficult.45 In addition, part of the difference in property loss 

estimates is because NFPA estimates property loss only for outside fires “with value,” whereas NFIRS 

permits property loss data collection for any fire. Which method is correct? Both are reasonable 

approaches, but neither may be definitive. Moreover, when there are large-loss fires, these fires may 

not necessarily be reported to NFIRS.

Figure 16. Trends in Outside and Other Property Type Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013)

Fires (thousands)

Year Outside 

Value

Other 

Value

2004 583.0 144.5

2005 672.5 128.5

2006 710.0 130.5

2007 646.5 122.5

2008 594.0 106.5

2009 546.0 103.0

2010 549.5 84.5

2011 597.5 88.5

2012 612.0 80.0

2013 479.5 85.0

10-year 

trend (%) 

-18.6% -46.8%

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside Fires

Trend

Other Property Type Fires

Trend

Outside and Other Property Type Fires (in thousands)

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Deaths

Outside

Other Property Type

Outside and Other Property Type

Fire Deaths

Trend

44 Karter, Jr., Michael J., “Fire Loss in the United States” (2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012), NFPA. There were three large-loss incidents 

that totaled 525 million dollars in damage in 2007; the Fourmile Canyon Wildfire in Colorado, which totaled 217 million dollars in 

damage in 2010; the Bastrop County, Texas, Complex Wildfire, which totaled 400 million dollars in damage in 2011; and the Waldo 

Canyon Fire and the High Park Fire in Colorado, accounting for a total of 567 million dollars in damage in 2012.

45 Setting a value for outside fire damage is always a problem. It is difficult to assign a dollar value to grass, tree and rubbish fires, yet 

the damage from these fires often requires labor beyond that of the fire department to clean up and restore the area. They also cause 

aesthetic problems that are intangible. Some outside fires spread to structural properties and may be reported as structural fires rather 

than outside fires with exposure to structures. Outside fires can have other indirect costs, such as the financial impact on agricultural communities where a fire destroys crops. Forest fires and other wildfires to which local departments are not called will not be 

reported to NFIRS if the state or federal agency with principal authority for fighting the fire does not participate in NFIRS. To more 

fully analyze outside fires, NFIRS data needs to be complemented with data from these other agencies.
54 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 16. Trends in Outside and Other Property Type Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Deaths

Year Outside and 

Other Value

2004 45

2005 50

2006 50

2007 45

2008 55

2009 35

2010 55

2011 65

2012 60

2013 65

10-year trend (%) 42.1%

0.0

100.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Deaths

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type

Fire Deaths

Trend

Outside and Other Property Type

Fire Injuries

Trend

Outside Fire 

Dollar Loss

Trend

Other Property 

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Outside

Other Property Type

Injuries

Year Outside and 

Other Value

2004 850

2005 950

2006 850

2007 650

2008 680

2009 700

2010 710

2011 675

2012 825

2013 800

10-year trend (%) -13.2%

0.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Deaths

0.0

200.0

400.0

600.0

800.0

1,000.0

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Injuries

$0.0

$100.0

$200.0

$300.0

$400.0

$500.0

$600.0

$700.0

$800.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Other Property Type

Outside and Other Property Type

Fire Deaths

Trend

Outside and Other Property Type

Fire Injuries

Trend

Outside Fire 

Dollar Loss

Trend

Other Property 

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Outside

Other Property Type
The National Fire Problem 55

Figure 16. Trends in Outside and Other Property Type Fires and Fire Losses (2004-2013) — Continued

Dollar Loss ($M) * Adjusted to 2013 Dollars

Year Outside 

Value

Other

Value

2004 $133.2 $83.9

2005 $110.9 $81.1

2006 $302.8 $104.0

2007 $794.3 $93.3

2008 $139.6 $101.7

2009 $275.8 $80.4

2010 $441.2 $94.0

2011 $560.3 $77.7

2012 $737.6 $87.3

2013 $520.0 $87.0

10-year 

trend (%) 

253.6% -4.7%

0.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

$0.0

$100.0

$200.0

$300.0

$400.0

$500.0

$600.0

$700.0

$800.0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010 2012 2013

Outside and Other Property Type Fire Dollar Loss (in $M)*

Trend

Outside Fire 

Dollar Loss

Trend

Other Property 

Fire Dollar Loss

Trend

Outside

Other Property Type

Sources: NFPA and CPI.

Note:	 The	large	increase	in	 the	 trend	 for	outside	and	other	property	 type	fire	deaths	is	due	primarily	 to	 the	fluctuations	in	 the	small	

numbers of deaths.

CAUSES OF FIRES AND LOSSES

The following sections show the fire cause profiles for 2013, by property type, of the major causes of fires 

and fires that resulted in losses: fatal fires, fires resulting in injuries, and fires resulting in dollar loss.46

Causes of Residential Building Fires

Figure 17 shows the cause profiles for residential building fires and fires resulting in losses. Cooking, 

at 49 percent, was the leading cause of residential building fires. Heating caused another 13 percent. 

These percentages (and those that follow) are adjusted, which proportionally spreads the unknown 

causes over the other 15 cause categories.

The two leading causes of residential fatal fires were other unintentional or careless actions at 17 

percent and smoking at 13 percent. The leading cause of residential fires that resulted in injuries 

was cooking (37 percent). Cooking was the leading cause by far of fires resulting in dollar loss at 29 

percent, followed by electrical malfunction at 11 percent.47

46 In principle, it is the cause of the fire that results in deaths and injuries which should be analyzed, not the numbers of deaths and 

injuries associated with fire causes.

47 Causes of residential building fires are presented in more detail as part of the USFA’s Residential Building Fires Estimate Summary 

Series (2004-2013) available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/res_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf. To download an 

Excel file of residential building fire and fire loss estimates by property use and cause, please visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/

statistics/order_download_data.html (located under the section “Download select data sets”).
56 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 17. Causes of Residential Building Fires and Fires Resulting in Losses (2013)

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 3.8 4.5

Playing with heat source 0.4 0.5

Smoking 1.8 2.1

Heating 10.8 12.9

Cooking 41.5 49.4

Electrical malfunction 5.1 6.1

Appliances 3.7 4.5

Open flame 3.9 4.6

Other heat 2.8 3.3

Other equipment 1.0 1.1

Natural 1.3 1.6

Exposure 1.7 2.0

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 0.7 0.8

Other unintentional, 

careless 4.6 5.5

Cause under 

investigation 1.0 1.1

Unknown 16.1 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Residential Building Fire Causes (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Residential Building Fatal Fire Causes (2013)

Intentional

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Injuries (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 6.2 11.2

Playing with heat source 0.9 1.6

Smoking 7.1 12.9

Heating 4.3 7.8

Cooking 4.9 8.8

Electrical malfunction 5.7 10.2

Appliances 1.5 2.8

Open flame 3.4 6.0

Other heat 4.0 7.3

Other equipment 0.6 1.1

Natural 0.4 0.8

Exposure 0.7 1.2

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 0.8 1.4

Other unintentional, 

careless 9.2 16.6

Cause under 

investigation 5.8 10.4

Unknown 44.5 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Residential Building Fire Causes (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Percent

Resi

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

dential Building Fatal Fire Causes (2013)

Playing with heat source

Intentional

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Injuries (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported
The National Fire Problem 57

Figure 17. Causes of Residential Building Fires and Fires Resulting in Losses (2013) — Continued

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 4.2 5.2

Playing with heat source 1.5 1.8

Smoking 5.3 6.6

Heating 4.8 5.9

Cooking 29.9 36.8

Electrical malfunction 5.2 6.5

Appliances 5.7 7.1

Open flame 7.3 9.0

Other heat 4.5 5.6

Other equipment 1.3 1.6

Natural 0.8 0.9

Exposure 0.5 0.6

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 0.7 0.9

Other unintentional, 

careless 6.7 8.3

Cause under 

investigation 2.6 3.3

Unknown 18.9 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Unknown

Percent

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Injuries (2013)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 5.6 7.0

Playing with heat source 0.8 0.9

Smoking 2.9 3.7

Heating 6.9 8.6

Cooking 22.7 28.5

Electrical malfunction 8.8 11.0

Appliances 6.4 8.1

Open flame	 5.6 7.0

Other heat 4.3 5.4

Other equipment 1.1 1.4

Natural 2.1 2.6

Exposure 3.1 3.9

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 1.0 1.2

Other unintentional, 

careless 6.9 8.7

Cause under 

investigation 1.7 2.1

Unknown 20.3 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

Percent

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Injuries (2013)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Causes of Residential Building Fires 

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Source: NFIRS.

Notes:	 1. Adjusted percentages (percentages with unknowns apportioned) proportionally spread the fire incidents with unknown causes

over the other 15 cause categories.

2. A large percentage of residential building fatal fire incidents reported to NFIRS (45 percent) did not have sufficient information to

determine the cause of the fire.
58 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Causes of Nonresidential Building Fires

Figure 18 shows the cause profiles for nonresidential building fires and fires resulting in dollar loss. 

Due to the small numbers of nonresidential building fatal fires and fires causing injuries reported to 

NFIRS, and the large percentage of those fires with insufficient information to determine fire cause, 

the distribution of causes for nonresidential building fatal fires and fires causing injuries is not shown.

For nonresidential building fires, cooking was the leading cause of fires (29 percent), followed by 

intentional actions (10 percent). Cooking and electrical malfunctions were the two leading causes of 

fires resulting in dollar loss in nonresidential buildings, both at 12 percent.48

Figure 18. Causes of Nonresidential Building Fires and Fires Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 6.3 9.7

Playing with heat source 0.2 0.4

Smoking 1.5 2.3

Heating 5.8 9.0

Cooking 19.0 29.3

Electrical malfunction 5.1 7.9

Appliances 3.2 5.0

Open flame 3.9 6.1

Other heat 3.4 5.2

Other equipment 3.1 4.8

Natural 2.2 3.4

Exposure 2.7 4.1

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 1.5 2.3

Other unintentional, 

careless 5.9 9.2

Cause under 

investigation 0.9 1.4

Unknown 35.2 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Nonresidential Building Fire Causes (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

00 50 100 15

0 20

0 250 300

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

48 Causes of nonresidential building fires are presented in more detail as part of USFA’s Nonresidential Building Fires Estimate 

Summary Series (2004-2013), available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/nonres_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf. To 

download an Excel file of nonresidential building fire and fire loss estimates by property use and cause, please visit https://www.usfa.

fema.gov/data/statistics/order_download_data.html (located under the section “Download select data sets”).
The National Fire Problem 59

Figure 18. Causes of Nonresidential Building Fires and Fires Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013) — Continued

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Intentional 7.3 10.0

Playing with heat source 0.3 0.4

Smoking 1.6 2.2

Heating 6.0 8.2

Cooking 9.0 12.3

Electrical malfunction 9.0 12.3

Appliances 5.5 7.6

Open flame 5.2 7.1

Other heat 4.6 6.2

Other equipment 4.2 5.8

Natural 3.4 4.6

Exposure 5.1 7.0

Equipment 

misoperation, failure 2.3 3.2

Other unintentional, 

careless 8.0 10.9

Cause under 

investigation 1.6 2.2

Unknown 26.7 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

Percent

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Unknown

Cause under

 investigation

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

Causes of Nonresidential Building Fires

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Source: NFIRS.

Note:	 Adjusted percentages (percentages with unknowns apportioned) proportionally spread the fire incidents with unknown causes over

the other 15 cause categories.

Causes of Vehicle Fires

Figure 19 shows the cause profiles for vehicle fires and fires resulting in dollar loss. Due to the small 

numbers of vehicle fatal fires and fires causing injuries reported to NFIRS, the distribution of causes for 

vehicle fatal fires and fires causing injuries is not shown.

Unintentional actions were the leading cause of fires and fires resulting in dollar loss in vehicles (37 

and 36 percent, respectively). The cause of vehicle fires was undetermined after the investigation in 

23 percent of vehicle fires. Failure of equipment or heat source was the second leading cause of fires 

resulting in dollar loss at 23 percent.
60 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 19. Causes of Vehicle Fires and Fires Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 22.9 23.0

Cause under 

investigation 10.2 10.3

Act of nature 0.3 0.3

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 21.7 21.8

Unintentional 36.4 36.6

Intentional 5.3 5.3

Exposure 2.6 2.7

Unknown 0.6 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 21.2 21.3

Cause under 

investigation 9.8 9.8

Act of nature 0.2 0.2

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 22.8 22.9

Unintentional 36.1 36.2

Intentional 6.2 6.2

Exposure 3.4 3.4

Unknown 0.4 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Percent

Vehicle Fire Causes (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0

Percent

Causes of Vehicle Fires

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Source: NFIRS.

Note:	 Adjusted percentages (percentages with unknowns apportioned) proportionally spread the fire incidents with unknown causes over

the other seven cause categories.

Causes of Outside Fires

Figure 20 shows the cause profiles for outside fires and fires resulting in dollar loss. Due to the small 

numbers of outside fatal fires and fires causing injuries reported to NFIRS, and the large percentage of 

those fires with insufficient information to determine fire cause, the distribution of causes for outside 

fatal fires and fires causing injuries is not shown.

Unintentional actions were the leading cause of fires and fires resulting in dollar loss in outside fires 

(40 and 39 percent, respectively). Causes were undetermined after the investigation in 28 percent of 

outside fires and 24 percent of outside fires resulting in dollar loss.
The National Fire Problem 61

Figure 20. Causes of Outside Fires and Fires Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 14.6 27.6

Cause under 

investigation 2.7 5.1

Act of nature 2.3 4.3

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 1.9 3.5

Unintentional 21.4 40.3

Intentional 9.9 18.6

Exposure 0.3 0.5

Unknown 46.9 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 14.4 23.6

Cause under 

investigation 4.4 7.2

Act of nature 2.1 3.4

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 5.9 9.7

Unintentional 23.7 39.0

Intentional 8.7 14.4

Exposure 1.7 2.7

Unknown 39.2 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Percent

Causes of Outside Fires

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Outside Fire Causes (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Percent

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Source: NFIRS.

Notes:	 1. Adjusted percentages (percentages with unknowns apportioned) proportionally spread the fire incidents with unknown causes

over the other seven cause categories.

	 2. A large percentage of outside fire incidents reported to NFIRS (47 percent) did not have sufficient information to determine the

cause of the fire.

Causes of Other Fires

Figure 21 shows the cause profiles for other fires and fires resulting in dollar loss. Due to the small 

numbers of other fatal fires and fires causing injuries reported to NFIRS, the distribution of causes for 

other fatal fires and fires causing injuries is not shown.

Just as with vehicle and outside fires, unintentional actions were the leading cause of other fires and 

fires causing dollar loss (45 and 48 percent, respectively). Failure of equipment or heat source was the 

second leading cause of other fires (20 percent) and other fires resulting in dollar loss (25 percent).
62 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 21. Causes of Other Fires and Fires Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 16.4 16.8

Cause under 

investigation 6.9 7.1

Act of nature 2.2 2.3

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 19.4 19.8

Unintentional 43.9 44.8

Intentional 8.2 8.4

Exposure 0.9 0.9

Unknown 2.0 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

Cause Reported Unknowns 

Apportioned

Cause undetermined 

after investigation 11.8 11.9

Cause under 

investigation 6.5 6.5

Act of nature 1.3 1.3

Failure of equipment or 

heat source 24.8 24.9

Unintentional 47.2 47.5

Intentional 5.7 5.7

Exposure 2.2 2.2

Unknown 0.5 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Percent

Causes of Other Fires 

Resulting in Dollar Loss (2013)

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Unknown

Exposure

Intentional

Unintentional

Failure of equipment

 or heat source

Act of nature

Cause under

 investigation

Cause undetermined

 after investigation

Causes of Other Fires (2013)

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Percent

Unknowns Apportioned

Reported

Source: NFIRS.

Note: Adjusted percentages (percentages with unknowns apportioned) proportionally spread the fire incidents with unknown causes over

the other seven cause categories.

FIRE CASUALTIES

Fire casualties affect all groups and races, rich and poor, Northern and Southern, urban and rural. But 

the problem is higher for some groups than for others.

Fire casualties across population groups can be assessed in several ways. The simplest method is to look 

at the distribution of the numbers of deaths or injuries across the factor of interest. For example, in the 

case of race in 2013, the number of fire deaths was greatest for white Americans and least for American 

Indians/Alaska Natives. In the case of age, percentages of fire deaths were greatest for those age 50 to 

64, while 64 percent of fire injuries occurred among adults age 20 to 59.

Although these findings are informative, they do not account for differences in the basic population 

groups under comparison. In the case of age, as an age group matures, its population of individuals 

decreases as a result of deaths. In the case of race, there are far fewer American Indians/Alaska Natives, 

for example, than white Americans living in the U.S. As a consequence, it is possible for an age group 

to have greater (or fewer) injuries or deaths because the sheer number of individuals for whom it is 

possible to be injured is larger (or smaller) than other groups.
The National Fire Problem 63

To account for population differences such as these, per capita rates are used. Per capita rates use a 

common population size, which then permits comparisons between different groups.49 Perhaps the 

most useful way to assess fire casualties across groups is to determine the relative risk of dying or being 

injured. Relative risk compares the per capita rate for a particular group (e.g., females) to the overall per 

capita rate (i.e., the general population). For the general population in the U.S., the relative risk is set at 1.

Fire Deaths

In 2013, according to NCHS, 3,468 deaths were caused by fire.50, 51 The risk of death from fire is not the 

same for everyone. When determining fire risk, geographic, demographic and socioeconomic factors 

all come into play.52

State Profiles

The fire problem varies from region to region and state to state in the U.S. This is often a result of 

climate, poverty, education, demographics, and other causal factors. Table 8 lists the 2013 civilian fire 

deaths, fire death rates per million population, and relative risk by state.

Four states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia had fire 

death rates that exceeded 20 deaths per million population. Twenty-three states, mostly situated in the 

Southeast and Midwest, had death rates between 11 and 20 deaths per million population. Additionally, 

23 states had fire death rates at or below the national fire death rate. While some state death rates were 

still high, overall, states have made great progress in lowering the absolute number of fire deaths and 

their deaths per million population.

Figure 22 ranks the order of states by relative risk of civilian fire death in 2013. In addition to the 

District of Columbia, the states with the highest relative risk of fire death in 2013 included West 

Virginia and Mississippi. The populace of West Virginia was 2.2 times more likely to die in a fire than 

the general population; however, people living in Utah were 60 percent less likely to die in a fire than 

the population as a whole. Where relative risk was computed, 25 states and the District of Columbia 

had a relative risk higher than that of the general population. Five states — Maryland, Nebraska, New 

Mexico, Ohio and Virginia — had a relative risk comparable to that of the general population. In 17 

states, the relative risk was lower than that of the general population.

49 Per capita rates are determined by the number of deaths or injuries occurring to a specific population group divided by the total 

population for that group. This ratio is then multiplied by a common population size. For the purposes of this report, per capita rates 

for fire deaths and injuries are measured per 1 million people.

50 NCHS, 2013 Mortality Data File, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics 

Cooperative Program.

51 For each reported death certificate in the U.S., NCHS assigns codes for all reported conditions leading to death. Based on NCHS 

mortality data, there were 3,468 fire-related deaths in 2013. These included all deaths in which exposure to fire, fire products or 

explosion was the underlying cause of death or was a contributing factor in the chain of events leading to death. This latter condition 

is an expanded approach to capturing fire and fire-related deaths. With this current approach, deaths where such exposures were a 

contributing factor (i.e., the death may not have occurred without the exposure) can be captured. The codes included in the mortality 

statistics are F63.1, W39-W40, X00-X09, X75-76, X96-97, Y25-26 and Y35.1.

52 For more information on U.S. fire deaths, fire death rates, and the risk of dying in a fire, visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

data/statistics/fire_death_rates.html. Additionally, USFA’s topical report “Fire Risk in 2013” focuses on how fire risk, specifically the 

risk of death and injury, varies with age and how other demographic and socioeconomic factors weigh upon that risk. This report is 

available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v16i6.pdf.
64 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Table 8. Fire Deaths, Rates and Relative Risk by State (2013)

State of Occurrence Fire Deaths Fire Death Rate per Million 

Population (Crude Rate) Relative Risk

Alabama 99 20.5 1.9

Alaska** 12 16.3 1.5

Arizona 80 12.1 1.1

Arkansas 60 20.3 1.9

California 231 6.0 0.5

Colorado 26 4.9 0.5

Connecticut 26 7.2 0.7

Delaware** 13 14.1 1.3

District of Columbia 20 30.8 2.8

Florida 115 5.9 0.5

Georgia 175 17.5 1.6

Hawaii** 10 7.1 0.6

Idaho** 14 8.7 0.8

Illinois 127 9.9 0.9

Indiana 93 14.2 1.3

Iowa 32 10.3 0.9

Kansas 43 14.8 1.4

Kentucky 82 18.6 1.7

Louisiana 65 14.0 1.3

Maine** 16 12.0 1.1

Maryland 64 10.8 1.0

Massachusetts 41 6.1 0.6

Michigan 153 15.5 1.4

Minnesota 53 9.8 0.9

Mississippi 67 22.4 2.0

Missouri 111 18.4 1.7

Montana** 15 14.8 1.3

Nebraska 21 11.2 1.0

Nevada 29 10.4 0.9

New Hampshire * * *

New Jersey 64 7.2 0.7

New Mexico 22 10.5 1.0

New York 175 8.9 0.8

North Carolina 122 12.4 1.1

North Dakota** 10 13.8 1.3

Ohio 131 11.3 1.0

Oklahoma 76 19.7 1.8

Oregon 49 12.5 1.1

Pennsylvania 182 14.2 1.3

Rhode Island** 15 14.2 1.3

South Carolina 64 13.4 1.2

South Dakota** 10 11.8 1.1
The National Fire Problem 65

Table 8. Fire Deaths, Rates and Relative Risk by State (2013) — Continued

State of Occurrence Fire Deaths Fire Death Rate per Million 

Population (Crude Rate) Relative Risk

Tennessee 127 19.5 1.8

Texas 247 9.3 0.9

Utah** 13 4.5 0.4

Vermont * * *

Virginia 89 10.8 1.0

Washington 63 9.0 0.8

West Virginia 45 24.3 2.2

Wisconsin 56 9.8 0.9

Wyoming * * *

United States 3,468 11.0 1.0

* Indicates states where fire death rates and relative risk were not computed due to very small numbers of fire deaths (fewer than 10 deaths). ** Fire death rates should be used with caution due to small numbers of deaths. Per the NCHS, National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 60, 

Number 4, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2010,” a rate or percentage is based on at least 20 deaths. Rates based on fewer than 20 deaths 

are considered highly variable.
66 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 22. Rank Order of States by Relative Risk of Civilian Fire Death (2013)

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

District of Columbia

West Virginia

Mississippi

Alabama

Arkansas

Oklahoma

Tennessee

Kentucky

Missouri

Georgia

Alaska

Michigan

Kansas

Montana

Rhode Island

Pennsylvania

Indiana

Delaware

Louisiana

North Dakota

South Carolina

Oregon

North Carolina

Arizona

Maine

South Dakota

Ohio

Nebraska

Maryland

Virginia

New Mexico

Nevada

Iowa

Illinois

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Texas

Washington

New York

Idaho

Connecticut

New Jersey

Hawaii

Massachusetts

California

Florida

Colorado

Utah

Relative Risk = 1.0

Relative Risk

0.4

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.9

0.9

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.7

1.8

1.8

1.9

1.9

2.0

2.2

2.8

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.9

1.4

1.4

Source: 2013 NCHS Mortality Data File, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics 

Cooperative Program and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

Note:	 Relative risk is not shown for New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming due to small numbers of fire deaths (fewer than 10).
The National Fire Problem 67

Age

Figure 23 shows the percentage of fire deaths by age. Unlike relative risk, the percentages do not take 

into account the number of individuals in an age group, and the distributions are somewhat different. 

Fire deaths peaked from ages 55 to 64, accounting for 20 percent of the deaths. Children younger than 

15 accounted for 9 percent of all fire deaths, while older adults (age 65 and over) accounted for 36 

percent of all fire deaths in 2013.

People age 50 and older have a higher fire death rate than the average population (11.0 deaths per 

million population). By age 75, the average fire death rate is higher still — nearly three or more times 

the national average (Figure 24).

In 2013, adults age 50 and older had a greater relative risk of dying in fires than the general population 

(Figure 25). Those ages 80 to 84 had the highest risk of fire death, followed closely by those age 85 

and older.

People with limited physical and cognitive abilities, especially older adults, are at a higher risk of death 

from fire than other groups. As baby boomers enter retirement age, the demographic profile of the U.S. 

is expected to change dramatically. Over the coming decades, the older population will increase, and 

a corresponding increase in fire deaths and injuries among older adults is likely.

In the past, children age 4 and younger were also considered to be at a high risk of death from fire; 

however, data indicates that the trend is changing. In 2013, the relative risk of children age 4 and 

younger dying in a fire was 30 percent less than that of the general population. However, children age 

4 and under faced an elevated risk of death in a fire when compared to older children (ages 5 to 14).

Figure 23. Fire Deaths by Age (2013)

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Percent

Deaths (3,468 cases)

2.0

3.3

3.3

8.1

7.1

7.4

6.8

6.8

7.5

4.6

6.5

10.5

9.8

3.8

1.6

2.9

4.7

3.4

Source: NCHS.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
68 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 24. Fire Death Rates by Age (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Deaths per Million Population

Deaths (3,468 cases)

3.3

5.3

5.4

12.4

23.0

33.2

41.0

39.2

17.8

10.6

17.1

18.7

2.7

5.0

5.2

National Fire Death Rate = 11.0

7.6

8.2

6.7

Sources: NCHS and U.S. Census Bureau.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.

Figure 25. Relative Risk of Fire Deaths by Age (2013)

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Relative Risk

Deaths (3,468 cases)

0.3

0.5

0.5

1.1

2.1

3.0

3.7

3.6

1.6

1.0

1.6

1.7

0.2

0.5

0.5

Relative Risk = 1.0

0.7

0.7

0.6

Sources: NCHS and U.S. Census Bureau.

Notes: 1. Relative risk compares the per capita rate for a particular group (e.g., age group) to the overall per capita rate (i.e., the general 

population). For the general population, the relative risk is set at 1, as indicated by the dashed lines in the figure above.

	 2. Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
The National Fire Problem 69

Gender

As shown in Table 9, more men (61 percent) died in fires than women (39 percent) in 2013. The high 

proportion of male-to-female fire deaths has remained steady from year to year.

Table 9. Percent Distribution of Fire Deaths by Gender (2013)

Casualty Type Males

(percent)

Females

(percent)

Deaths 61.3 38.7

Source: NCHS.

Figures 26 and 27 present the percent of fire deaths by age and gender and fire death rates by age 

and gender, respectively. The distribution of fire deaths by age is somewhat different for males versus 

females. Female fire deaths in the 70 and older age group accounted for one-third of female fire deaths. 

Male fire deaths, by contrast, were highest in the late midlife years (50 to 64).

Males have a higher fire death rate per million population than females for all age groups. Males were 

1.5 times more likely to die in fires than females.

Figure 26. Fire Deaths by Age and Gender (2013)

0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Percent

Deaths (3,468 cases)

2.0

1.9

3.6

2.8

3.6

2.8

9.1

6.6

6.5

8.0

6.2

9.3

6.6

7.2

5.5

8.9

7.8

7.0

5.6

9.6

11.0

10.0

9.4

7.4

1.5

1.8

2.8

3.1

4.2

2.2

4.7

4.3

4.3

5.4

4.1

3.4

Males (2,126 cases)

Females (1,342 cases)

Source: NCHS.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
70 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 27. Fire Death Rates by Age and Gender (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Deaths per Million Population

Deaths (3,468 cases)

4.0

2.5

7.0

3.6

7.2

3.5

17.4

7.7

28.1

18.7

38.7

28.9

58.8

28.6

57.4

29.9

13.5

14.2

7.0

11.7

22.8

24.5

13.4

22.6

2.9

2.4

5.7

4.2

7.6

2.6

9.7

5.5

9.0

7.4

8.9

4.6

Males (2,126 cases)

Females (1,342 cases)

Sources: NCHS and U.S. Census Bureau.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.

Race

Figure 28 shows the fire death rates by race and gender in 2013. White males, African-American males 

and females, and American Indian/Alaska Native males had higher fire death rates than the national 

average. Asian/Pacific Islanders had the lowest deaths rates. African-American fire death victims constituted a large and disproportionate share of total fire deaths. Although African-Americans constituted 13 

percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 19 percent of fire deaths.
The National Fire Problem 71

Figure 28. Fire Death Rates by Race and Gender (2013)

Number of Fire Deaths

Race Males Females Total

White 1,676 1,019 2,695

African-American 381 281 662

American Indian/

Alaska Native 32 19 51

Asian/Pacific

Islander 37 23 60

Overall 2,126 1,342 3,468

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0

Overall

Asian/

Pacific Islander

American Indian/

Alaska Native

African-American

White

Males

(2,126 cases)

Females

(1,342 cases)

13.8

8.2

19.1

12.9

16.2

9.8

4.4

2.5

14.0

8.6

National Fire 

Death Rate = 11.0

Deaths per Million Population

Sources: NCHS and U.S. Census Bureau.

Notes: 1. The overall male and female population estimates include individuals with “2+ races” per the census. The “2+ races” category 

accounts for 2.4 percent of the population. NCHS does not include this race category.

	 2. This figure uses NCHS data in the computation of the national fire death rate for data consistency within this chart. Based on

the 2013 NFPA fire death estimate, this rate is 10.2.

Fire Injuries

According to the NFPA, in 2013, there were an estimated 15,925 civilian fire injuries. In general, the 

age profile for fire injuries was very different from that for deaths. This difference is thought to be the 

result of both cognitive and mobility issues that affect many older adults. As a result, these adults were 

generally less likely to escape the effects of fire and thus suffered fatal injuries.

Age

Figures 29 and 30 show the percentage of fire injuries by age and fire injury rates by age in 2013, 

respectively. In 2013, children younger than 15 accounted for 11 percent of fire injuries; older adults 

(age 65 and over) accounted for 14 percent. The majority of fire-related injuries occurred in adults ages 

20 to 59. This age group accounted for 64 percent of the fire injuries in 2013 (Figure 29).

Adults age 85 and over experienced the highest fire injury rates. Adults ages 20 to 64 also experienced 

higher fire injury rates than the national fire injury rate yet have some of the lowest fire death rates 

(Figure 30). Fire injury rates are below average for children and teenagers age 19 or younger and for 

people ages 65 to 79.

In 2013, those 85 and older were at the greatest risk of fire injury, followed by adults ages 20 to 64 

(Figure 31). The risk for injury was lowest for the younger age groups and those ages 65 to 79. Although 

most of the older adult age groups have a lower or average level of fire injury risk, there are fewer of 

them in the total population. If their risk continues to be the same, we could expect more and more 

elderly fire injuries and deaths as the older adult proportion of the population increases. In the meantime, the focus for injury prevention should be on adults ages 20 to 64 and those 85 or older.
72 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 29. Fire Injuries by Age (2013)

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Percent

Injuries

5.6

7.7

8.9

8.6

3.0

2.0

1.8

2.6

4.3

8.2

7.6

7.5

6.1

7.5

2.9

2.4

5.5

8.0

Source: NFIRS.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.

Figure 30. Fire Injury Rates by Age (2013)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Injuries per Million Population

Injuries

National Fire Injury Rate = 50.3

41.9

60.9

40.7

50.5

68.5

62.5

60.5

22.1

57.0

66.3

44.9

46.4

57.0

56.2

53.7

18.3

43.7

55.7

Sources: NFIRS, NFPA and U.S. Census Bureau.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
The National Fire Problem 73

Figure 31. Relative Risk of Fire Injuries by Age (2013)

0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Relative Risk

Injuries

Relative Risk = 1.00

0.83

1.21

0.81

1.00

1.36

1.24

1.20

0.44

1.13

1.32

0.89

0.92

1.13

1.12

1.07

0.36

0.87

1.11

Sources: NFIRS, NFPA and U.S. Census Bureau.

Notes: 1. Relative risk compares the per capita rate for a particular group (e.g., age group) to the overall per capita rate (i.e., the general 

population). For the general population, the relative risk is set at 1, as indicated by the dashed lines in the figure above.

	 2. Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.

Gender

The male-to-female ratio for fire injuries was similar to that for fire deaths, except that the gender gap 

was smaller. In 2013, more men (58 percent) were injured in fires than women (42 percent), as shown 

in Table 10.

Table 10. Percent Distribution of Fire Injuries by Gender (2013)

Casualty Type Males

(percent)

Females

(percent)

Injuries 57.8 42.2

Source: NFIRS.

Figures 32 and 33 present the percentages of fire injuries by age and gender and fire injury rates by age 

and gender, respectively. The distribution of fire injuries by age is somewhat different for males versus 

females. Males ages 20 to 54 had a slightly higher proportion of injuries, while older adult females 

had more injuries than older adult males (Figure 32). Males had a higher fire injury rate per million 

population than females for all age groups with the exception of the 80 to 84 age group, where females 

had a higher injury rate (Figure 33).
74 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

Figure 32. Fire Injuries by Age and Gender (2013)

0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Percent

Injuries

5.4

5.8

8.1

7.2

9.0

8.7

9.0

8.1

2.6

3.6

1.8

2.2

1.3

2.6

1.8

3.7

4.3

7.8

7.3

7.6

7.4

5.8

6.5

4.2

2.9

2.8

2.6

2.1

8.7

7.0

8.8

7.4

5.4

5.6

7.5

7.4

Males

Females

Source: NFIRS.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
The National Fire Problem 75

Figure 33. Fire Injury Rates by Age and Gender (2013)

0.0 25.0 50.0 75.0 100.0 125.0

85 or older

80-84

75-79

70-74

65-69

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

10-14

5-9

4 or younger

Injuries per Million Population

Injuries

45.7

37.9

68.1

45.6

77.2

55.4

75.1

47.3

48.6

41.7

47.7

35.2

48.5

51.8

81.0

62.1

37.6

68.5

45.7

46.9

66.0

61.7

46.4

56.2

25.2

18.8

22.4

14.1

68.5

42.2

77.8

47.3

48.5

38.7

70.6

50.4

Males

Females

Sources: NFIRS, NFPA and U.S. Census Bureau.

Note:	 Data have been adjusted to account for unknown or unspecified ages.
76 Fire in the United States 2004-2013

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Acronyms 77

Acronyms

AES automatic extinguishing system

AFG Assistance to Firefighters Grants

CPI Consumer Price Index

CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission

DEBI Data Entry Browser Interface

DET Data Entry Tool

EMS Emergency Medical Services

FAQs frequently asked questions

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

FDID fire department identification

Intro to NFIRS 5.0 “Introduction to NFIRS 5.0”

NCHS National Center for Health Statistics

NFDC National Fire Data Center

NFIRS National Fire Incident Reporting System

NFIRS: PM “National Fire Incident Reporting System: Program Management”

NFIRS PM DAPST “NFIRS Program Management--Data Analysis and Problem-Solving Techniques”

NFPA National Fire Protection Association

OMB Office of Management and Budget

PDR Public Data Release

USFA U.S. Fire Administration