Fire Safety Statistics 

In 2009, fire departments responded to 377,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 2,565 people (not including firefighters) and injured another 13,050, not including firefighters. Estimated loss in home fires during 2009 was nearly 7.8 billion dollars (Karter, 2010).

Cause of Fires

One third of residential fires start in the kitchen, with cooking - specifically frying - as the primary cause. Kitchen fires are the leading cause of injury in a residential fire, accounting for one third of home fire injuries. Smoking is the leading cause of death in residential fires.  Eighty percent of smoking-related fire fatalities result from fires originating in upholstered furniture, mattresses or bedding, or clothing.

Children under 5 years of age are at the greatest risk from home fire death and injury; their death rate is nearly twice the national average. Each year, nearly 488 children ages 14 and under die in home fires, and another 116,600 children are injured from a fire/burn related incident.  (Karter, 2010)

Often, children do not learn proper fire safety behavior such as dropping and rolling on the ground if clothing catches fire, crawling instead of running out of a house, or covering their mouths if it is smoky. Fire safety education is important and is powerful in preparing families and children for a fire emergency, especially when practiced. 

Residential fire incidents peak from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. during dinner preparation.  Although fire incidents drop when people sleep, deaths are at their highest late at night and in the early morning hours.  More than half of residential fire deaths occur in fires that start between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.  The peak night hours are from 2:00 to 5:00 a.m., when most people are in a deep sleep.  Seventy-four percent of deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarm.

References: 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fire.htm

Karter, MJ.  Fire loss in the United States during 2009 Quincy, MA:  National Fire Protection Association, Fire Analysis and Research Division. 2010.

Safe Kids USA. Fire Safety Fact Sheet. 2009. http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/fire-safety-fact-sheet.html

View:         A Fact Sheet on Fire Safety for Babies and Toddlers (PDF)
Source:      United States Fire Administration

View:        Babies and Toddlers Fire Death Data Report - Iowa (PDF)
Source:   Babies and Toddlers Fire Death Data Report by USFA 

View:        U.S. Home Structure Fires (PDF)
Source:    National Fire Prevention Association