The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently updated four of its periodic reports that look at various aspects of fires in the U.S. The reviews, all dated September but only just made available, cover:
- General Fire Loss: There was a downward trend (21%) in all fires from 2001 to 2015, but structure fires did not decline. NFPA noted that 78% of fires occur in homes and that fires occur more often and with higher rates of death in small communities (<5,000 residents). Numbers for 2015 were about 1.35 million fires, 3,280 civilian deaths, 15,700 civilian injuries, and $14.3 billion in property damage. Get the report at bit.ly/2dtqmYO.
- Home Structure Fires: The annual average for 2010-2014 was 358,300 fires. These led to averages 0f 2,520 civilian deaths, 12,720 civilian injuries, and $6.7 billion in property damage. Top causes were cooking equipment (46% of fires, 19% of deaths, 44% of injuries); heating equipment (16%, 19%, 12%); electrical distribution and lighting (9%, 16%, 9%), intentional (8%, 14%, 7%), and smoking material (5%, 22%, 10%). Download a copy of the report from bit.ly/2cSrmaK.
- Hot Work: This report covers fires started by tools like welding torches, soldering irons, or heat treatment equipment, among others. In 2010-2014, the annual average was 4,440 structure fires, about 42% of which were in homes. Overall, the fires led to averages of 12 civilian deaths, 208 civilian injuries, and $287 million in property damage. Averages and percentages for top tools linked to residential fires were soldering equipment (630, 34%), welding torches (540, 29%), cutting torches (280, 15%), and burners (260, 14%). See the report at bit.ly/2dxeTH1.
- Multiple Death Fires: These are defined as events that lead to five or more deaths in homes or three or more elsewhere. The nine incidents in 2015, involving 42 fatalities, were a record low. Four (23 deaths) were in homes, two (8 deaths) were in non-home structures, and three (11 deaths) were in non-structures. NFPA said the worst was a house fire ignited by a hotplate. Seven children died.
Download the report via bit.ly/2deyRoq.
