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Fire Statistics in the United States

When it comes to fires in the U.S., the question typically starts very broadly…guessing thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

What is your guess for fires in the U.S.?

If we look at 2013, according to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1,240,000 fires reported. Reported.

How many more weren’t reported?

AND, how many weren’t reported because of safe fire protection practices, such as having a working fire extinguisher on the property?

Ramifications of Fire

Loss of property is one thing, but loss of life and/or injury from fires is tragic. In 2013, fires caused 2,855 civilian deaths, 14,075 civilian injuries, and $9.5 billion in property damage.That is one home fire every 85 seconds and one civilian fire death occurred every 2 hours and 42 minutes.

Fire Prevention

The first line of defense against fires is a fire extinguisher and knowing how to properly use one.

Additionally, know the causes of fires can also help against preventing them (the real goal). Some of the main causes of fires include:

  • Fires from faulty appliances
  • Arson
  • Candles
  • Chemical and gases
  • Electrical
  • Fireworks
  • Lightning
  • Smoking (i.e., tobacco products)

Fires aren’t something that people think about on a daily basis, but should be something that is taken seriously. Spend an evening mapping out a fire escape route/plan, ensuring you have fire extinguishers (and in working order), and glance at the above list to make yourself aware of the most common causes of fires and you might just save someone’s life one day.

Be safe.