Fire
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FIRE LOSSES
Great strides have been made in constructing fire resistant buildings, reducing the incidence of fires and improving fire suppression techniques. However, in terms of property losses, these advances have been somewhat offset by increases in the number and value of buildings. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2007, on average, a fire department responded to a fire every 20 seconds in the United States. A structure fire occurs every 59 seconds; a residential fire occurs every 76 seconds; a vehicle fire occurs every 122 seconds.
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U.S. FIRE LOSSES, 1998-2007 (1)
Year |
Property loss ($ millions) |
Loss per capita |
| 1998 | $11,510 | $45.59 |
| 1999 | 12,428 | 45.58 |
| 2000 | 13,457 | 47.69 |
| 2001 | 17,118 (2) | 60.04 |
| 2002 | 17,586 | 61.09 |
| 2003 | 21,129 | 72.75 |
| 2004 | 17,344 | 59.16 |
| 2005 | 20,427 | 69.03 |
| 2006 | 20,340 | 68.08 |
| 2007 | 22,608 | 74.95 |
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(1) Including allowances for FAIR Plan and uninsured losses.
(2) Does not include insured fire losses related to terrorism.
Source: ISO; Insurance Information Institute. |
| - ISO estimates that fire losses associated with homeowners insurance claims (including FAIR Plans) accounted for 58 percent of total insured fire losses in 2007.
- Fire losses associated with commercial multiple peril and fire insurance claims each accounted for 21 percent of total insured fire losses in 2007.
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STRUCTURE FIRES, 1998-2007 (1)
Year |
Number of fires |
Year |
Number of fires |
| 1998 | 517,500 | 2003 | 519,500 |
| 1999 | 523,000 | 2004 | 526,000 |
| 2000 | 505,500 | 2005 | 511,000 |
| 2001 | 521,500 | 2006 | 524,000 |
| 2002 | 519,000 | 2007 | 530,500 |
(1) Includes public assembly, educational, institutional and residential structures, stores and offices, industry, utility, defense, storage and special structures.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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CIVILIAN (NONFIREFIGHTER) FIRE DEATHS AND INJURIES BY PROPERTY USE, 2007
Property use |
Civilian fire deaths |
Percent change from 2006 |
Percent of all civilian fire deaths |
Civilian fire injuries |
| Residential | 2,895 | 10.5% | 84.4% | 14,000 |
| 1 and 2 family dwellings (1) | 2,350 | 9.1 | 68.5 | 9,650 |
| Apartments | 515 | 21.2 | 15.0 | 3,950 |
| Other residential (2) | 30 | -25.0 | 0.9 | 400 |
| Nonresidential structures (3) | 105 | 23.5 | 3.1 | 1,350 |
| Highway vehicles | 365 | -18.0 | 10.6 | 1,500 |
| Other vehicles (4) | 20 | -55.6 | 0.6 | 175 |
| All other fires (5) | 45 | -10.0 | 1.3 | 650 |
| Total | 3,430 | 5.7% | 100.0% | 17,675 |
(1) Includes manufactured homes.
(2) Includes hotels and motels, college dormitories, boarding houses, etc.
(3) Includes public assembly, educational, institutional, store and office, industry, utility, storage and special structure properties.
(4) Includes trains, boats, ships, farm vehicles and construction vehicles.
(5) Includes outside properties with value, as well as brush, rubbish and other outside locations.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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STRUCTURE FIRES BY TYPE OF USE, 2007 (1)
($ millions)
Property use |
Estimated number of fires |
Percent change from 2006 |
Property loss (2) |
Percent change from 2006 |
| Public assembly | 14,500 | 7.4% | $498 | 12.2% |
| Educational | 6,500 | 0.0 | 100 | -4.7 |
| Institutional | 7,000 | -6.7 | 41 | -2.4 |
| Residential | 414,000 | 0.4 | 7,546 | 8.0 |
| 1 and 2 family dwellings (3) | 300,500 | -1.3 | 6,225 | 4.9 |
| Apartments | 98,500 | 7.7 | 1,164 | 29.9 |
| Other (4) | 15,000 | -9.1 | 157 | -0.6 |
| Stores and offices | 21,500 | 7.5 | 642 | -7.1 |
| Industry, utility, defense (5) | 11,500 | 0.0 | 779 | 36.0 |
| Storage in structures | 31,000 | 5.1 | 670 | 3.1 |
| Special structures | 24,500 | 6.5 | 362 | 156.7 |
| Total | 530,500 | 1.2% | $106,380 (6) | 10.4% |
(1) Estimates based on data reported by fire departments responding to the 2007 National Fire Experience Survey. May not include reports from all fire departments.
(2) Includes direct property loss to contents, structures, vehicles, machinery, vegetation or any other property involved in a fire. Does not include indirect losses, such as business interruption or temporary shelter costs.
(3) Includes manufactured homes.
(4) Includes hotels and motels, college dormitories, boarding houses, etc.
(5) Does not include incidents handled only by private brigades or fixed suppression systems.
(6) Excludes losses from the California Fire Storm of 2007, which resulted in $1.8 billion in losses.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES OF 2007 (1)
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THE TEN MOST CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES IN U.S. HISTORY (1)
Rank |
Date |
Location/Event |
Deaths |
| 1 | Sep. 11, 2001 | New York, NY, World Trade Center terrorist attack | 2,666 (2) |
| 2 | Apr. 27, 1865 | Mississippi River, SS Sultana steamship | 1,547 |
| 3 | Oct. 8, 1871 | Peshtigo, WI, forest fire | 1,152 |
| 4 | Jun. 15, 1904 | New York, NY, General Slocum steamship | 1,030 |
| 5 | Dec. 30, 1903 | Chicago, IL, Iroquois Theater | 602 |
| 6 | Oct. 12, 1918 | Cloquet, MN, forest fire | 559 |
| 7 | Nov. 28, 1942 | Boston, MA, Cocoanut Grove night club | 492 |
| 8 | Apr. 16, 1947 | Texas City, TX, SS Grandcamp and Monsanto Chemical Co. plant | 468 |
| 9 | Sep. 1, 1894 | Hinckley, MN, forest fire | 418 |
| 10 | Dec. 6, 1907 | Monongha, WV, coal mine explosion | 361 |
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(1) Fires that kill five or more people in residential property, or three or more people in nonresidential or nonstructural property.
(2) Revised to 2,976 by government officials.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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THE TEN MOST COSTLY LARGE-LOSS FIRES OF 2007 (1)
($ millions)
Rank |
State |
Type of facility |
Estimated loss |
| 1 | California | Wildfire | $1,800 |
| 2 | California | Wildfire | 315 |
| 3 | California | Wildfire | 150 |
| 4 | California | Vehicle and highway overpass system | 100 |
| 5 | North Carolina | Plastic products manufacturing plant | 100 |
| 6 | Georgia | Wildfires | 80 |
| 7 | California | Wildfire | 60 |
| 8 | New York | Vacant historic hospital | 60 |
| 9 | Illinois | Power plant | 60 |
| 10 | Texas | Refinery | 50 |
(1) Large-loss fires of $10 million or more.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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THE TEN MOST COSTLY LARGE-LOSS FIRES IN U.S. HISTORY
($ millions)
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Estimated loss (1) |
Rank |
Date |
Location/Event |
Dollars when occurred |
In 2007 dollars (2) |
| 1 | Sep. 11, 2001 | World Trade Center (terrorist attacks) | $33,400 (3) | $39,200 (3) |
| 2 | Apr. 18, 1906 | San Francisco Earthquake and Fire | 350 | 8,000 |
| 3 | Oct. 8-9, 1871 | Great Chicago Fire | 168 | 2,900 |
| 4 | Oct. 20, 1991 | Oakland, CA, fire storm | 1,500 | 2,300 |
| 5 | Oct. 20, 2007 | San Diego County, CA, The Southern California Wildland Fires | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| 6 | Nov. 9, 1872 | Great Boston Fire | 75 | 1,300 |
| 7 | Oct. 23, 1989 | Pasadena, Texas, polyolefin plant | 750 | 1,300 |
| 8 | Oct. 25, 2003 | Julian, CA, Wildfire (Cedar) | 1,100 | 1,200 |
| 9 | May 4, 2000 | Los Alamos, NM, wildland fire | 1,000 | 1,200 |
| 10 | Feb. 7, 1904 | Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Conflagration | 50 | 1,200 |
(1) Loss estimates are from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) records. The list is limited to fires for which some reliable dollar loss estimate exists.
(2) Adjustment to 2007 dollars made by the NFPA using the Consumer Price Index, including the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimates of the index for historical times.
(3) Differs from estimates from other sources.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
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FIRES STARTED BY LIGHTNING BY TYPE, 2002-2005 (1)
(1) Reported to local fire departments.
Source: National Fire Protection Association.
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LIGHTNING INCIDENTS BY MONTH, 2002-2005 (1)
(1) Reported to local fire departments.
Source: National Fire Protection Association.
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STRUCTURE FIRES IN RELIGIOUS AND FUNERAL PROPERTIES (1)
(2002-2005 annual averages)
Occupancy |
Fires |
Civilian deaths |
Civilian injuries |
Direct property damage ($ millions) |
| Church, mosque, temple or chapel | 1,730 | 2 | 11 | $91 |
| Funeral parlor | 70 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Unclassified religious or funeral property | 110 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 1,910 | 2 | 11 | $100 |
(1) Estimates of fires reported to U.S. municipal fire departments. Excludes fires reported only to federal or state agencies or industrial fire brigades. Casualty and loss projections can be heavily influenced by one unusually serious fire.
Source: National Fire Protection Association. |
| - Church arsons, a major problem in the 1980s, have dropped significantly. Intentional fires in religious and funeral properties fell 82 percent from 1,320 in 1980 to 240 in 2002, the last time such figures were tracked.
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