Top Fire Causes

Click on any image to learn more about these top fire causes.

Cooking	heating	electrical

Smoking	candles

 

The following statistics were taken from US Fire Administration Website:

 

Residential Building Fire Causes (2010 – 2019)

This fire estimate summary presents basic data on residential building fire causes in the United States as depicted through data reported to the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA's) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). The summary also highlights important trends in the data.

National Estimates

The 2019 national estimates for the leading causes of residential building fires show that there were:

1. 178,100 cooking fires.
2. 33,100 heating fires.
3. 27,200 other unintentional, careless fires.
4. 24,200 electrical malfunction fires.

Overall Trends

Overall trends in the leading fire causes for the 10-year period of 2010 to 2019 show the following:

• Cooking as the leading cause of residential building fires for the 10-year period.
• A 10% increase in residential cooking fires. (This is likely due to an NFIRS coding edit implemented in 2012.)
• A 32% decrease in residential heating fires.
• A 22% increase in residential other unintentionally or carelessly set fires.
• A 0.8% decrease in residential electrical malfunction fires.

Download USFA’s Fire Estimate Summary Series

 

Residential Building Fire Death Causes

This fire estimate summary presents basic data on residential building fire death causes in the United States as depicted through data reported to the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA's) National Fire Incident Reporting System. The summary also highlights important trends in the data.

 

National Estimates

The 2019 national estimates for the leading causes of residential building fire deaths show that there were:

1. 585 other unintentional, careless fire deaths.
2. 470 cause under investigation fire deaths.
3. 320 smoking fire deaths.

 

Overall Trends

Overall trends in the leading fire death causes for the 10-year period of 2010 to 2019 show the following:

• Other unintentional, careless was the leading cause of residential fire deaths in 9 years out of the 10-year period, and there was a 52% increase in residential other unintentionally or carelessly set fire deaths. In 2018 and 2019, 16 and 18 reported multifatality fire incidents (resulting in 2, 3, 4 or 5 deaths each), respectively, may have contributed to the increase in the estimate of fire deaths.
• Cause under investigation was the second leading cause of residential fire deaths in 2019, and there was a 67% increase in residential cause under investigation fire deaths. In 2019, 10 reported multifatality fire incidents (resulting in 2, 3 or 4 deaths) may have contributed to the increase in the estimate of fire deaths.
• A 6% increase in residential smoking fire deaths.