NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 80

2018 US Fire Experience by the Numbers
NUMBER OF FIRES
» Publicfiredepartments
respondedto1,318,500 firesin
2018,1,000fewerthan2017.
» Ofthese,499,000occurredin
structures.
» Ofthestructurefiresthat
occurredin2018,363,000,
or 73 percent,occurred
inhomestructures,which
includeone-andtwo-family
homes,manufacturedhomes,
andapartments.Thiswasan
increaseof2percentover
2017.
» Therewerealso181,500 fires
inhighway-typevehicles,an
increaseof8percentfromthe
previousyear.
» The607,000 firesthat
occurredinoutsideand
otherpropertiesrepresented
adecreaseof3percent
comparedto2017.
» Every24 seconds,afire
departmentintheUSrespondstoafiresomewhere
inthenation.Afireoccursin
astructureattherateofone
every63seconds,andahome
fireoccursevery87seconds.

Firesoccurinhighwayvehicles
attherateofoneevery2
minutes54seconds,andthere
isafireinanoutsideandother
propertyevery52seconds.
CIVILIAN FIRE DEATHS
» In2018,3,655 civilians died
in fires,anincreaseof8
percentfromtheprevious
year.Thisispartiallyduetothe
CampFirethatstruckNorthern
CaliforniainNovember2018,
killing85people.
» Ofthese,2,720,or74percent
ofallfiredeaths,occurredin
thehome,anincreaseof3
percentover2017.
» Another490 civilians diedin
highwayvehiclefires,which
represents13percentofallfire
deaths.
» Nationwide,aciviliandiedin
afireevery2hoursand24
minutes,andaciviliandiedin
ahomefireevery3hoursand
13minutes.
CIVILIAN FIRE INJURIES
» Lastyear,15,200 civilian fire
injuriesoccurred,a4percent

80 | NFPA JOURNAL * S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9

increaseovertheprevious
year.Manycivilianinjuriesare
notreportedtothefireservice,
andtheestimateforcivilian
injuriesmaybelow.
» Ofthese,12,700, or 84
percent of all civilian injuries,
occurredinstructurefires.
» Homefireswereresponsible
for11,200 civilian injuries,
or74percentofallcivilian
injuries.
» Another1,300 civilian injuries,
or9percentofallcivilian
injuries,occurredinhighway
vehiclefires.
» Nationwide,therewasa
civilianfireinjuryevery 35
minutes,andacivilianfire
injuryinhomefiresevery41.
PROPERTY DAMAGE
» Anestimated$25.6 billion in
property damageoccurred
asaresultoffirein2018,
includingmorethan$12 billion
in lossesfromwildfires.
» Ofthis,$11.1 billion in property
damageoccurredinstructure
fires,including$8billionin
propertylossinhomefires.

» Highwayvehiclefiresresulted
in$1.4 billion in property loss
lastyear.
INTENTIONALLY SET FIRES
» Anestimated25,500 fires
were intentionally setin
2018,excludingfireswhose
causeswereunknown,an
increaseof13percentover
2017.
» Intentionallysetfiresin
structuresalsoresultedin350
civilian deaths,anincrease
of25percentfromthe
previousyear.
» Atthesametime,intentionally
setstructurefiresresultedin
$593millioninpropertyloss,
anincreaseof2percentfrom
2017.
» Therewere9,500 intentionally set vehicle fires,an
increaseof12percentfrom
thepreviousyear.These
firesresultedin$65millionin
propertydamage,adecrease
of13percentfromtheyear
before.
NFPA Journal - September/October 2019

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