Annual Probability of Dying in a House Fire

Approximately 2,840 Americans die in residential fires each year, with an additional 11,400 injured. This makes the annual risk of dying in a house fire about 1 in 115,000. Fire departments respond to about 350,000 home structure fires per year, causing about $8 billion in property damage.

The leading causes of home fires are cooking (accounting for about 49% of fires but only 20% of deaths), heating equipment (about 13% of fires, 19% of deaths), electrical equipment (about 6% of fires), and smoking materials (about 5% of fires but 23% of deaths, making it the leading cause of fire deaths). Candles, dryers, and children playing with fire are also significant causes.

The single most important factor in surviving a home fire is having working smoke alarms. Three out of five fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Having working smoke alarms cuts the risk of dying in a fire by about 50%. The NFPA recommends smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, tested monthly and replaced every 10 years. Home fire sprinklers reduce fire death risk by about 80% but are present in only about 6% of US homes.