Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings

Between 2007 and 2009, civilian fire casualties in residential buildings accounted for 81 percent of all fire fatalities, according to a report released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) examining characteristics of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings.

The report, Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings, is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

According to the report:

• Ninety-one percent of all civilian fatalities in residential building fires involve thermal burns and smoke inhalation.
• Bedrooms (55 percent) are the leading location where civilian fire fatalities occur in residential buildings.
• Fifty-one percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This period also accounts for 49 percent of fatal fires.
• Seventy percent of fire victims in residential buildings were escaping (36 percent) or sleeping (34 percent) at the time of their deaths.
• Smoking was the leading cause of fatal residential building fires.
• Males accounted for 57 percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings; women accounted for 43 percent of the fatalities.
• Approximately 43 percent of civilian fatalities in residential building fires are between the ages of 40 and 69.
• Thirteen percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings were less than 10 years old.