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| Two special reports focusing on US fires have been released by USFA |
The USFA has announced the release of two special reports: "One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires" and "Multifamily Residential Building Fires On The Causes And The Characteristic Of Fires".
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced the release of two special reports focusing on the cause and characteristics of fires in one- and two-family and multifamily residential buildings. The reports, One- and Two-Family Residential Building Fires (PDF, 813 Kb) and Multifamily Residential Building Fires (PDF, 861 Kb), were developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center. One- and two-family residential buildings include detached dwellings, manufactured homes, mobile homes not in transit, and duplexes. Multifamily residential buildings consist of structures such as apartments, townhouses, row houses, condominiums and other tenement properties.
An estimated 253,500 fires in one- and two-family residential buildings occur each year in the United States. Annually, these fires are responsible for 2,150 civilian fire deaths, 8,775 civilian fire injuries, and $5.3 billion in property loss. Additionally, there are an estimated 108,400 fires that occur in multifamily buildings each year resulting in 450 deaths, 3,800 injuries, and $1.1 billion in property loss.
The reports are part of the Topical Fire Report Series and are based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for 2005 to 2007. According to the reports, cooking is, by far, the leading cause of both one and two-family and multifamily residential building fires, followed by heating. Fire incidence in both types of residential properties peaks during winter months partially as a result of increases in heating and holiday-related fires. In addition, fires peak over the evening dinner hours in one- and two-family and multifamily residences when cooking fires are prevalent.
The reports are designed to discover elements of the fire problem as metioned in data collected in NFIRS. |
The topical reports are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in NFIRS. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context.
The complete reports are available on the website of USFA. For further information regarding other topical reports or any programs and training click here.
