Multiple-Fatality Fires Reported to NFIRS 1994-1996

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Multiple-Fatality Fires Reported to NFIRS 1994-1996 (PDF, 554 Kb)

Executive Summary

Each year in the United States, there are more than 2,800 fatal residential home fires. Nearly one in six of these fires is a multiple-fatality fire, a fire in which more than one civilian is killed. This report characterizes multiple-fatality fires by contrasting them with single-fatality fires. By analyzing the events and circumstances surrounding different types of fatal fires, this report provides insight into how they can be prevented and how lives can be saved.

Since the majority of fire deaths among civilians occur in the home, residential structures are the pri-maryfocus of this report. Findings are based on comparisons of multiple- and single-fatality fires that occurred between 1994 and 1996 and were reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

The major findings of this study are:

The leading causes of multiple-fatality fires during 1994-1996 were slightly different from the causes of single-fatality fires. Heating, arson, and children playing with fire-starting materials were the leading causes of multiple-fatality fires. Smoking, arson, and heating were the leading causes of single-fatality fires. The proportion of fatal fires caused by children playing with fire-starting materials in multiple-fatality fires is twice that of single-fatality fires.
Thirty-five percent of multiple-fatality fires originate in lounge areas. Bedrooms and hallways/ stairways were the second and third leading areas of fire origin, respectively. For single-fatality fires, bedrooms and lounge areas were the leading areas of fire origin, followed by kitchens.
Similar proportions of multiple- and single-fatality fires occurred in homes without working smoke alarms. Multiple-fatality fires, however, were more likely to occur in homes where an alarm was present, but inoperable.
Multiple-fatality fires occurred most often between midnight and 6 a.m.
Forty-five percent of all victims of multiple-fatality fires were children under the age of 10. Only 15 percent of victims were 60 years of age or older.
In single-fatality fires, male fatalities outnumbered female fatalities by 70 percent. In multiple-fatality fires, males were 13 percent more likely than females to die. Females accounted for a much higher proportion of victims in multiple-fatality fires.
Half of the victims of multiple-fatality fires were asleep at the time of the fire. Compared to single-fatality fires, fewer victims of multiple-fatality fires were impaired by drugs or alcohol or were bedridden.