The Overall Fire Picture - 2008

• There were 3,320 civilians that lost their lives as the result of fire.
• There were 16,705 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire.
• There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
• Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
• 84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
• There were an estimated 1.5 million fires in 2008.
• Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $15.5 billion. This figure includes the 2008 California Wildfires with an estimated loss of $1.4 billion.
• An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 315 civilian deaths.
• Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $866 million in property damage.

Nationally, there are millions of fires, thousands of deaths and injuries, and billions of dollar loss - which makes the U.S. fire problem one of great national importance. Between 1999 and 2008, there was an average of 1,634,150 fires resulting in an estimated $11,634,800,000 in direct dollar loss each year. An average of 3,625 Americans lost their lives and another 18,765 were injured annually as the result of fire. These averages do not reflect the events of September 11, 2001

Where Fires Occurred - 2008

• There were 1,451,500 fires in the United States. Of these:
  • 48.3% were Outside and Other Fires
  • 35.5% were Structure Fires
  • 16.3% were Vehicle Fires
• Residential structure fires represented 27.8 percent of all fires and 78.3 percent of all structure fires.
• 83.0 percent of all civilian fire fatalities occurred in the home, where home is defined as one- and two-family dwellings and apartments. Of those, approximately 85.8 percent occurred in single-family homes and duplexes.
• Intentionally set structure fire property loss represented 7.0 percent of all structure fire property loss.
• 17,500 intentionally set vehicle fires occurred, causing an estimated $139 million in property damage.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. 2008.