NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 74

NFPA Research The Reports
Out of all the reported structure fires
involving flammable gases, the largest
percentage were those that began with the
ignition of natural gas, followed by those
with the ignition of liquid propane. The
incidents in which liquid propane was the
first to ignite accounted for larger shares
of civilian deaths and injuries. Property
damage estimates were evenly distributed
between incidents reporting natural gas,
liquid propane, and other, nonspecified
flammable gases.
More than a third of the items first
ignited in these incidents were gases
escaping from a container or pipe, or
from a combustion engine. Other leading
items first ignited included an appliance
housing or casing and cooking materials,
including food. Of those fires where an
appliance housing was the first to ignite,
59 percent involved equipment related
to cooking and an additional 24 percent
included heating stoves, water heaters,
and HVAC equipment. This statistic
makes sense given that a kitchen or cooking
area was the leading area of origin for
ignition of these fires, with 31 percent of
the estimated total, followed by a heating
equipment room as the origin for 8 percent
of these fires.
Civilian deaths and injuries were notably
higher in fires where the item first ignited
was an uncontained gas. Nearly three in
ten (27 percent) of these deaths involved
heaters, including floor furnaces and wall
and baseboard heaters. Another 26 percent
of these deaths included the involvement
of a water heater, and 14 percent of these
deaths involved a range or kitchen stove.
A kitchen or cooking area was the
leading area of origin for fires involving
flammable gases. Outside areas of
origin (including patio, balcony, or other
unclassified) combined for an additional
24 percent of the total. Of the fires that
occurred in outside areas, 75 percent were
associated with a grill, with an additional
3 percent associated with unclassified
cooking equipment. This analysis continues
to support the trend that a large
majority of home structure fires involving
a flammable gas are related to cooking.
Civilian deaths had a much larger
average occurrence when the fire's area
74 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2024
Of all the reported structure
fires involving flammable
gases, the largest percentage
were those that began with the
ignition of natural gas.
of origin was a common area (including
living room, family room, lounge, or den)
or bedroom, with a combined 35 percent
of total deaths occurring in such fires.
The data also indicates that 27 percent of
these deaths occurred in fires involving an
appliance designed to produce heat and
that 33 percent of these deaths involved
oxygen administration equipment. The
remaining fires with civilian deaths were
documented as having no equipment
involved in ignition. The heat source for 41
percent of these fires was related to operating
equipment and another 20 percent
was attributed to either heat from an open
flame or a direct flame or convection heat.
The most common reported factors in
home structure fires involving a flammable
gas included either a leak or break, or
a mechanical failure or malfunction. The
reported equipment involved in ignition
in these fires was related to cooking equipment
48 percent of the time. Another 24
percent of reported equipment involved
in ignition was attributed to heating
equipment of some kind. Other leading
factors included a heat source too close
to combustibles, misuse of a material or
product, and failure to clean. One-quarter
of the deaths associated with a heat
source too close to combustibles or a
misuse of a product were associated with
oxygen administration equipment that
was involved in the ignition of the fire.
More than half of the fires were reported
as unintentional and accounted for the
largest percentage of civilian deaths and
injuries and property damage.
Non-home structure fires
Fires in non-home structures where the
first material to ignite was a flammable
gas nearly doubled from 2010 to 2022; an
estimated 3,134 of these fires occurred in
2010 versus an estimated 6,104 in 2022.
Nearly 60 percent of the fires occurring
in 2022 were confined fires.
The largest share of fires, deaths,
injuries, and damage from 2018 to 2022
belongs to those properties identified
as an unclassified residential use. These
include structures such as hotels, motels,
board and care, and barracks. It is possible
that inaccurate reporting for " home " fires
could have slightly increased this particular
estimate. The next largest property
use associated with these fires and injuries
is eating or drinking establishments.
Although the code for hotel or motel was
reported in an estimated 2 percent of the
fires, an estimated 11 percent of the deaths
were associated with these incidents.
Of all fires where the material first
ignited was a flammable gas, the highest
percentage of incidents reported were
attributed to those that began with natural
gas, similar to the trend observed
with home fires. Estimates for civilian
deaths and injuries were higher in the
fires that were reported to have begun
with the ignition of liquid propane gas
or another, unclassified flammable gas.
Property damage was highest among fires
that began with the ignition of unclassified
flammable gases. Incidents where a
flammable gas escaped from a container
or pipe or where a flammable gas was
reported to be uncontained combined for
an estimated 63 percent of civilian deaths
and 63 percent of civilian injuries.
Forty-two percent of these fires involved
cooking or kitchen equipment and 18 percent
involved heating equipment. NFIRS
data did not record reported equipment
for approximately 20 percent of the civilian
deaths and 31 percent of the civilian
injuries. There were an estimated three
civilian deaths and 31 civilian injuries
annually involving cooking or kitchen
equipment and another three civilian
deaths and 19 injuries associated with
heating equipment. Other equipment
included a cutting torch and a welding
torch, each of which was associated with
an estimated 2 percent of these fires.
The trend remains the same for fires
where the item first ignited was reported as
an appliance housing or casing. Fifty-one
percent of the equipment involved in these
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024

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