Approximately 4,300 people die in fires in this country annually, and another 27,000 people are injured. Approximately 100 firefighters die each year in duty-related incidents. Each year, fire usually kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined. People under the age of 19 account for 25 percent of the annual fire deaths. About 25 percent of the fires that kill young children are started by children playing with fire.
Men die or are injured in fires nearly twice as often as women.
The South has the highest fire death rate per-capita. Nearly 80 percent of all fatalities occur in the home. Of those, approximately 80 percent occur in single-family homes and duplexes. At least 640 fire deaths occur in apartments each year. Smoke detectors and smolder-resistant bedding and upholstered furniture are significant fire deterrents.