Trauma Survivors Network - provided by ATS

Survive. Connect. Rebuild.

A Program of the ATS

Fires

On average, someone died in a fire about every 2 hours, and someone was injured every 29 minutes in the United States in 2005. Four out of five U.S. fire deaths occurred in homes. Deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States and the third leading cause of fatal home injury. Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem. In 2005, fire departments responded to 396,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 3,030 people and injured another 13,825, not including firefighters. Most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.

The cost of fire/burn injuries was almost twice as high for men than women (4.8 to 2.7 billion respectively). Beyond costs of injuries and deaths, fire is extremely destructive to property. In 2005, residential fires caused nearly $7 billion in property damage. Learning how to prevent fires before they begin and learning when to evacuate the home or building is critical in reducing costs, decreasing injuries, and most importantly saving lives.

Fire Deaths and Injuries Fact Sheet
See Website: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fire.htm

References:
CDC www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fire.htm
Injury Prevention Policy www.safetypolicy.org/pm/smoke.htm
National Fire Protection Association www.nfpa.org
Consumer Product Safety Commission www.cpsc.gov


Associated pages

*Groups at Risk
Risk Factors
*Prevention Strategies
Additional Resources