Homes without working smoke alarms are more than twice as likely to have a fire. Two-thirds of residential fires that kill children occur in homes without a working smoke alarm. Children ages 5 and under are more than twice as likely to die in a fire than any other age group. Boys are at a higher risk of fire and burn-related death and injury than girls. More than one-third of children ages 6 to 14 reportedly have played with fire at least once.
Boys are nearly twice as likely to have played with fire than girls.
Low-income families tend to lack working smoke alarms, live in substandard housing, use alternative heating sources, and have economic constraints on providing adequate adult supervision. Children in rural areas are two and a half times more likely to die in a residential fire than children in large cities. African-American children are more than three times as likely to die in a fire than Caucasian children. Native American children are more than two times as likely to die in a fire than Caucasian children. Children ages 4 and under and children with disabilities are at the greatest risk of burn-related death and injury, especially scald and contact burns.