Facts + Statistics: Fire

 

Fire losses

Great strides have been made in constructing fire-resistant buildings and improving fire-suppression techniques, both of which have reduced the incidence of fire. However, in terms of property losses, these advances have been somewhat offset by increases in the number of and value of buildings.

In 2016, on average, a fire department responded to a fire every 24 seconds in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). A structure fire occurred every 66 seconds, a residential structure fire occurred every 90 seconds and an outside property fire occurred every 48 seconds.

 

Fire Losses In The United States, By Line Of Insurance, 2016 (1)

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(1) Estimated. Includes FAIR plan and uninsured losses.

Source: ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® business.

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Structure fires

The NFPA reports that there were 475,000 structure fires in the United States in 2016, down 5.2 percent from 501,500 fires in 2015, and the lowest number since the NFPA began collecting data in 1977. Structure fires peaked at 1,098,000 in 1977 and have been trending downward over the past 40 years.

Fires in structures not related to wildfires caused $7.9 billion in property damage in 2016, down 23.2 percent from the 2015 loss of $10.3 billion. The average loss for these structure fires was $16,610, down 19 percent from a year ago. Of note, a major wildfire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee caused another $911 million in direct property damage.

Public assembly fires include fires in eating and drinking places and other entertainment venues, houses of worship and other places where people congregate. There are approximately 7,600 structure fires in eating and drinking establishments each year, according to a NFPA report based on data between 2006 and 2010.

According to the NFPA, fires in nightclubs are among the most deadly public occupancy fires, because they contain a large number of people in one main space. In January, 2013 a deadly nightclub fire in Brazil claimed over 230 lives, making it one of the most deadly nightclub fires on record. The deadliest nightclub fire in world history was the 1903 Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago, Illinois in which 602 people were killed, followed by a 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts which claimed 492 lives and a fire at the Conway's Theater in Brooklyn, New York in 1876 which killed 285 people. The 2003 Station Fire in Rhode Island claimed 100 lives, and ranks as number eight. The complete top ten ranking is posted at NFPA: Nightclub Fires.

 

Large loss fires

March 25, 2011, marked the 100-year anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. The blaze that swept through a New York City sweatshop killing 146 garment workers ushered in a new era of fire safety in the American workplace, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The September 11, 2001, World Trade Center conflagration was the deadliest, as well as the most costly, building fire in U.S. history.

 

Holiday fire losses

Fireworks

Almost half of all reported fires on July 4^th were started by fireworks between 2009 and 2013 (latest data available), according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

• In 2016 U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 11,100 people for fireworks related injuries; 59 percent of those injuries were to the extremities, and 29 percent were to the head, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• The risk of fireworks injury, based on the estimated rate of emergency department-treated fireworks-related injuries, is highest for young adults ages 20 to 24, at 4.9 injuries per 100,000 people. Children under the age of 5 had the second highest risk, with 4.4 injuries per 100,000 people.

Home fires

• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says Thanksgiving Day is the leading day for home cooking fires, followed by the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. In 2015, there were 1,760 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the highest for any day of the year.

• U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 210 home structure fires that began with Christmas trees from 2009 to 2013, according to a fact sheet from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
• Home Christmas tree fires caused an average of seven civilian deaths, 19 civilian injuries and $17.5 million in direct property damage annually from 2009 to 2013.
• Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 38 percent of the home Christmas tree structure fires. About one-quarter (24 percent) occurred because some type of heat source was too close to the tree. Decorative lights were involved in 18 percent of these incidents. Eight percent of home Christmas tree fires were started by candles.
• The top three days for home candle fires were Christmas, New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve, according to another NFPA fact sheet.
• During the five-year-period of 2009-2013, the NFPA estimates that decorations were the item first ignited in an estimated average of 860 reported home structure fires per year. These fires caused an estimated average of one civilian death, 41 civilian injuries and $13.4 million in direct property damage per year, according to an NFPA fact sheet.

For information about Holiday Safety and Preparedness, see our Pinterest board.