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FACTS on FIRE
Our
country has one of the highest
“death due to fire” rates in the industrialized world. In 1998, the
rate was 14.9 deaths per million people. In each of the years
between 1994 and 1998, an average of 4,400 Americans died fire-related
deaths. More than 25,000 sustained fire-related injuries. Approximately
100 firefighters lose their lives each year as a result of being
injured while on duty. In fact, fire kills more Americans each year
than all natural disasters combined.
It
is the
third leading cause of accidental death in a residence — and a whopping
80% of all fire deaths happen at home! About two million fires are
reported annually, and direct fire-related property loss is estimated
at $8.6 billion a year. Many fires are never reported — and the
official statistics do not reflect the deaths, injuries and property
losses these fires cause.
Of the 1,755,000 fires reported in the United
States in 1998:
• 41%
were outside
fires
•
29% were
structure fires
•
22% were
vehicle fires
•
8% were fires of other types
More than 1 in
5 (22%) fires — and almost 3
of 4 (74%) structure fires — were residential fires. In 1-2
family dwellings, more than 1 in 5 (23.5%) fires start in the kitchen.
Other common points of origin are the bedroom (12.7%), the living room
(7.9%), the chimney (7.1%) and the laundry area (4.7%).
Nearly half (46.1%) of all apartment fires
start in the kitchen. The second most common point of origin is
the bedroom (12.3%), followed by the living room (6.2%), the laundry
area (3.3%) and the bathroom (2.4%). The South has the highest
fire-related death rate, with 18.4 civilian deaths per 1 million
people.
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and related injuries in the United States. Cooking fires result
from human error or unattended cooking more often than from mechanical
failure of ovens or stoves.
The leading cause of fire deaths is careless smoking. Smolder-resistant
bedding and smoke alarms can make injury and death less likely, but
only humans can prevent fires.
Heating is the second leading cause of residential fire and the second leading cause of fire deaths. Heating related fires
occur more often in single family homes than in apartments, whose
heating systems are professionally maintained.
Arson is the third leading cause of residential fires and residential fire deaths. In commercial properties,
arson is the primary cause death, injuries and property loss.
The risk of death or injury during afire is greatest for seniors over 70 and children under the age of 5. The
risk of fire-related death among those over 70 is more than twice that
of the general population. For children under 5, the risk of dying in a
fire is almost double the risk for the rest of the population. In one
recent year, nearly 1 in 6 (17%) fire deaths occurred in children under
10.
Fire
kills or injures almost twice as many men as women, and African
Americans have a disproportionate rate of fire deaths: They account for
13% of the population, but 26% of all fire deaths.
Now
that you've learned how devastating fires can be please click on
this link,
Winter
Fire Safety Tips
, and learn how they can be prevented.
This
newsletter contains basic information
on the home and general topics of interest. Due to the variations in
homes, individual recommendations require a comprehensive evaluation.
To
reprint this article, please contact our office.
© 1996-2004. All
rights reserved. (ISND04)
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