Hot Work Structure Fires Include Dwellings, NFPA Finds

About 43% of building fires due to hot work occur in homes, according to recent data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The group found (bit.ly/2lTcL4c) estimated annual averages for 2013-2017 of 4,630 structure fires, 15 deaths, 198 civilian injuries, and $355 million in direct property damages.

It did not break down home/non-home percentages for deaths, injuries, and damages. Some 80% of fires were in occupied structures.

"Hot work" refers to jobs with tools needing very high heat. Top numbers were welding torches (39% of all fires | 32% of dwelling fires); cutting torches (27% | 14%); heat treating equipment (17% | 8%); burners (10% | 13%); and soldering equipment (6% | 32%).

Other details for dwelling incidents included:

• Area of Origin: Wall assembly/concealed space (16%), bathroom/lavatory (13%), kitchen/cooking area (8%), exterior roof surface (7%), garage/vehicle storage (7%), exterior wall surface (7%), crawl space/substructure (6%).

 

• Item First Ignited: Structural member/framing (24%), insulation within structural area (21%), exterior wall covering/finish (9%), unclassified structural component/finish (6%), flammable/combustible liquid/gas etc. (5%).

 

• Contributing Factors: Heat too close to combustibles (47%), work too close to combustibles (30%), improper tool use (6%), unclassified misuse (4%).

The report also noted that most injuries found in CPSC's NEISS data do not involve fires. The total (fire plus non-fire) annual estimate is about 11,500, and NIST said that top non-fire wounds were radiation burns of eyeballs (4,300) foreign objects in eyes (2,300), and thermal burns (1,800).