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Quick Facts: Fire & Arson Statistics

Overview of Fires…

In 2005, there were 1,602,000 fires reported in the United States (down 3% from 2004). These fires caused 3,675 civilian deaths, 17,925 civilian injuries, 87 firefighter deaths, and $10.7 billion in property damage.**

Every 20 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. A fire occurs in a structure at the rate of one every 60 seconds, and a residential fire occurs every 77 seconds. Nationwide in 2004, there was a civilian fire death every 135 minutes and a civilian injury every 30 minutes.**

The most common causes for fires in homes from 1999-2002, starts with number one cooking equipment, followed by heating equipment, intentional causes, open flame, electrical distribution equipment, appliances and finally smoking material.
**Source: National Fire Protection Association (www.NFPA.org)

Residential Fires are Expensive and Deadly...

In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to 381,000 home structure1 fires. These fires caused 13,300 civilian injuries, 3,030 civilian deaths, $6.7 billion in direct damage.

  • 82% of all civilian fire deaths resulted from home structure fires.
  • Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries.
  • Kitchens are the leading area of origin for home structure fires (34%) and civilian home fire injuries (33%).
  • Only 6% of home fire deaths started in the living room, family room, or den; these fires caused 29% of home fire deaths.
  • 12% of reported home fires started in the bedroom. These fires caused 26% of home fire deaths, 25% of home fire injuries, and 17% of the direct property damage.
  • Smoking is the leading cause of civilian home fire deaths.
  • January was the peak month for home structure fires and home fire deaths.
  • 74% of reported home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
  • Most fatal fires kill one or two people. In 2005, 13 home fires killed five or more people. These 13 fires resulted in 80 deaths.

Source: National Fire Protection Association

Arson Increases Slightly in 2005…

Arson offenses, which are tracked separately from other property crime offenses, increased 6.8 percent nationwide.
Source: Crime in the United States 2005 Department of Justice — Federal Bureau of Investigation Release Date: September 2006

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