About three-quarters were volunteers. Municipal includes counties and organized fire districts. It excludes federal or state agencies or private fire brigades. During the five-year period from 1993 to 1997, January was the peak month for home fire deaths. February ranked second, and December was third.
Most fatal fires kill one or two people only.
NFPA Fire Analysis and Research Division Class IIIB combustible liquids were the type of material first ignited in 4,700 home structure fires per year in 1993-1997, with associated losses of 12 civilian deaths and 395 civilian injuries per year. Four out of every five of these fires had stoves or ovens as the equipment involved in ignition. Of all the Class IIIB liquids, cooking oil stands out as a type of liquid most likely to be found in a home. U.S. Home Cooking Fire Patterns and Trends, NFPA Fire Analysis and Research Division Between 1993 and 1997, an average of 8,690 home fires per year were started by candles. In 1999, there were an estimated 21,875 civilian fire injuries, of which 16,050 occurred in homes.