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The United States has a severe fire problem, more so than is generally perceived. Nationally, there are millions of fires, thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of injuries, and billions of dollar loss - which makes the U.S. fire problem one of great national importance. Between 1997 and 2006, an average of 3,760 Americans lost their lives and another 20,010 were injured annually as the result of fire. These averages do not reflect the events of September 11, 2001.

The following table shows the number of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss in the United States from 1997 to 2006.

National
Year	Fires	Deaths	Injuries	Direct Dollar Loss In Millions
1997	1,795,000	4,050	23,750	$8,525
1998	1,755,000	4,035	23,100	$8,629
1999	1,823,000	3,570	21,875	$10,024
2000	1,708,000	4,045	22350	$11,207
2001¹	1,734,500	3,745	20,300	$10,583
2001²	-	2,451	800	$33,440
2002	1,687,500	3,380	18,425	$10,337
2003	1,584,500	3,925	18,125	$12,307
2004	1,550,500	3,900	17,875	$9,794
2005	1,602,000	3,675	17,925	$10,672
2006	1,642,500	3,245	16,400	$11,307

¹ Excludes the events of September 11, 2001.

² These estimates reflect the number of deaths, injuries and dollar loss directly related to the events of September 11, 2001.

Note: The decrease in direct dollar loss in 2004 reflects the Southern California wildfires with an estimated loss of $2,040,000,000 that occurred in 2003.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. During 2006.

Where Fires Occurred - 2006

There were 1,642,500 fires in the United States. Of these:
- 51.2% were Outside and Other Fires
- 31.9% were Structure Fires
- 16.9% were Vehicle Fires
Residential fires represented 25.1 percent of all fires and 78.7 percent of structure fires.
79.5 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 83.5 percent occurred in single-family homes and duplexes.
Intentionally set structure fires represented 7.8 percent of all structure property loss.
20,500 intentionally set vehicle fires occurred, causing an estimated $134 million in property damage.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. During 2006.