Page 2 - January 2022 BSTTW Community News

2 BSTTW COMMUNITY NEWS
Fire Deaths, Fire Prevention and Fire Safety
Statistics
Fire prevention is especially important for
vulnerable populations in terms of age, disability,
and poverty. Fire is in 27th place on the top 30
list of biggest causes of death worldwide. In
2017, the Ivory Coast had the highest rate of fire
deaths per year in the world, at 14.53 per
100,000 people. Angola and Sierra Leone had
the next worst fire death rates in the world, at
11.18 and 10.86 deaths per 100,000,
respectively. The US was in 136th place among
183 countries in the world, with a fire death rate
of 0.73 per 100,000 in 2017.
Malta had the best ranking that same year
(0.02), followed by Iceland and Singapore, with
respective fire death rates of 0.10 and 0.13 per
100,000.
House Fire Statistics By Year
According to the Center for Disease Control, the
U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA):
•Every year, there’s an average of
358,300 home-based fires.
•The CDC reported in 2013 that over
125,000 children were treated for burns.
•There were over 14,000 fire injuries as a
result of 364,000 residential fires in 2016
•In 2017, businesses across the country
experienced over $31 million in property
loss from fire damage.
•There were 499,000 structure fire cases
in 2017.
•In 2017, there were more than 26,000
house fires, caused by faulty wiring.
•In 2017, there were at least 1,319,500
fires (wildfire, house fire, and commercial)
in the United States that resulted in 3,400
deaths.
•Fire departments and fire services
responded to fires in the United States
every 24 seconds in 2018.
How many fires happen in a year?
The U.S. Fire Administration’s data for the ten-
year period of 2009–2018 indicate a yearly
average of 1,330,800 reported fires in the US. In
2018, there were 1,318,500 fires reported in the
country. Of these, 499,000 fires originated in a
structure, and 379,600 fires happened in residential
buildings.
How many house fires were there in 2020?
Around 374,000 house fires happen each year in the
United States. This information is according to the
National Fire Protection Association. 2020 would
have had around the same number of house fires.
What state has the most house fires?
In 2016, West Virginia counted the highest number of
house fires that ended tragically. The death rate was
6.76 per 100,000 people. Alaska (6.1 per 100,000)
and Alabama (5.4) round out the top three.
Home Fire Deaths
For more information, review the full reports by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, the
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS),
and the National Safety Council:
•One civilian fire-related death occurs every
144 minutes or a little over every two hours.
•In 2018, there were 3,655 deaths from
1,318,500 fires in the United States, according
to fire safety statistics.
•In 2018, 82 firefighters died while on duty.
•Home fires account for 92% of civilian fire
deaths.
•On average, seven people die in a fire a day.
•House fires cause an average of 2,620
civilian deaths each year.
•The majority of home fire deaths are caused
by smoke inhalation.
•Every year 500 children (14 and younger) are
killed by fire.
•More than 50% of children ages 5 and
younger die while asleep during a fire.
•One civilian fire-related injury occurs every 35
minutes, or a little every half hour.
CONTINUED On Page 3 “STATS”