NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 72
2015 CATASTROPHIC MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES
2015 CATASTROPHIC
MULTIPLE-DEATH FIRES BY TYPE
Home Fire Deaths
RESIDENTIAL
NEW YORK
Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths
March 21, 12:23 a.m., 7 deaths
Number of Stories, Occupancy Type, and
Construction Type
This was a three-story, 1,000-square-foot (93-squaremeter) single-family home of unprotected wood-frame
construction. The home was occupied by a family of nine
at the time the fire broke out.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
There was one smoke alarm in the basement. It operated
but was ineffective due to being below the level of the fire.
There was no automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire broke out in the first-floor kitchen when a hot
plate on the counter, left on during Sabbath observances, ignited nearby combustibles. The fire extended
to cabinetry, the wall, and into a family room and dining
room, then through open doors to a hallway and up to the
second-story bedrooms.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
The seven victims died in bedrooms on the second floor.
The mother attempted to rescue the children but was
driven out by heat and smoke. She and one daughter escaped but were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The victims were aged 16, 13, 12, 10, 8, 7, and 5.
MARYLAND
Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths
January 15, 3:31 a.m., 6 deaths
Number of Stories, Occupancy Type, and
Construction Type
This was a two- and three-story, 16,386-square-foot
(1,522-square-meter) single-family home of ordinary
construction. The home was occupied by a family of six at
the time the fire broke out.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
There was an alarm system present. The system activated and alerted an alarm company that in turn notified
the fire department. Minutes after the alarm activated,
several 911 calls were received from neighbors. There
was no automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire is believed to have started in the great room
when an electrical failure ignited plastic and the tree
skirt under a 15-foot (4.5-meter) Christmas tree.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
It took investigators several days to locate and recover
the bodies from under much of the collapsed home. Five
of the victims were located in debris of the three bedrooms, and the sixth body was located in the great room.
The victims were aged 63, 56, 8, 8, 7, and 6.
72
NFPA JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
Here is a look at how these catastrophic fires broke down over the 10year period:
DEATHS: The number of deaths in home fires ranged from the minimum threshold of five to a high of 10. In non-home structures, fires killed
between three and 29 people, with a mine explosion and fire accounting for
the largest lost-of-life incident. Non-structural fires killed between three and
24 people, with the largest loss of life occurring in an airplane crash and fire.
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF SIX: Between 2006 and 2015, 222
children under age six died in 105 fires. Of these fires, 92 were in homes,
eight were non-home structures, and five were in vehicles. The largest
number of victims under age six in any one fire was five. This happened
four times, all in home fires, three in single-family dwellings and one in
an apartment building.
TIME OF DAY: Most of the catastrophic multiple-death fires (140 out
of the 243) broke out between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., resulting
in 779 deaths, with 176 of these victims children under the age of six.
These overnight fires occurred most frequently in homes (106 fires),
with 24 in non-home fires, and 10 in non-structure fires.
DETECTION AND SUPPRESSION EQUIPMENT: Of the 124 structures
where information on smoke detection systems was reported, only 56
had any detection equipment at all. Nineteen of these systems operated
and 17 systems did not operate. The operation of the remaining 20 systems was not reported. In the 17 fires where the detection systems did
not operate, 10 were cases where the smoke alarm battery was missing.
No reason was reported for the other seven fires.
In 68 fires, including 54 homes and 14 non-home structures, there
was no smoke alarm present. These fires resulted in 369 deaths, 86 of
which were children under age six.
The reported information on auto» nfpa.org/catastrophic
Read the complete report online
matic suppression systems was rare, with
only six properties having any type of suppression system. Four of those
systems operated, and two did not. The reasons that the two systems
did not operate were not reported. In the four fires where the systems
operated, the systems were either not in the area of fire origin or were
damaged by an explosion.
Suppression systems were not present in 122 properties (99 homes
and 23 non-home structures). These fires accounted for 695 deaths.
2015 findings
The number of catastrophic multiple-death fires in 2015 was sharply
lower than in the past. The year finished with the lowest number of such
fires and associated deaths ever reported, with nine such fires resulting
in 42 deaths. Of those fires, four were in homes, with 23 deaths including four children under the age of six. Two were in non-home structures,
resulting in eight deaths, and three were in wildland and aircraft fires,
resulting in 11 deaths. By comparison, there were 25 catastrophic
multiple-death fires in 2014, resulting in the deaths of 131 people,
including 11 children under age six.
http://www.nfpa.org/catastrophic
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2016
Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - Contents
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 3
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 4
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 5
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 6
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 7
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 8
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 9
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 10
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 11
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 12
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 13
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 14
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 15
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 16
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 17
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 18
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 21
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NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 30
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 31
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 32
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - I1
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - I2
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 33
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 34
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 35
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 36
NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 37
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