NFPA report: Cooking equipment remains top cause of home structure fires

From NFPA.org
NFPA estimates that U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 371,700 home structure fires per year during the five-year-period of 2006-2010. These fires caused an estimated average of 2,590 civilian deaths, 12,910 civilian injuries, and $7.2 billion in direct property damage per year. Almost three-quarters (71%) of the reported home structure fires and 84% of the fatal home fire injuries occurred in one- or two-family homes, including manufactured homes. The remainder occurred in apartments or other multi-family housing.
Cooking equipment is the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries. Smoking materials are still the leading cause of home fire deaths. Half of all home fire deaths result from incidents reported between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. One-quarter (25%) of all home fire deaths were caused by fires that started in the bedroom; another quarter (24%) resulted from fires originating in the living room, family room, or den; and 15% were caused by fires starting in the kitchen. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in which no smoke alarms were present or in which smoke alarms were present but did not operate. Compared to other age groups, older adults were more likely to be killed by a home fire.
Download the full report here.





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