Fire Facts

Home Fires
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Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep.  Only one
     in five home fires were reported during these hours.One quarter of home fire deaths were caused by fires that started in the bedroom.
     Another quarter resulted from fires in the living room, family room or den. Three out of five home fire deaths happen from fires in homes
     with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
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In 2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 367,500 home structure fires.  These fires caused 2,745 deaths,
     11, 825 civilian injuries, and $6.8 billion in direct damage. On average, seven people die in U.S. home fires per day. Cooking equipment
      is the leading cause of home fire injuries, followed by heating equipment.
*    Most fatal fires kill one or two people.  In 2014, 15 home fires killed five or more people resulting in a total of 88 deaths.

Smoke Alarms
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Three out of five home fire deaths in 2009-2013 were caused by fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms
     Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half.
*    In fires large enough to activate the smoke alarm, hard wired operated 94% of the time while battery powered operated 80% of the time.
*    When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected or dead.

Escape Planning
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According to an NFPA survey, only one-third of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
    
One-third of those surveyed estimated they would have at least 6 minutes before the fire became life threatening, the time is often less. 
*    Only 8% said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out!   

Cooking
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U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 162,400 cooking-related fires between 2009-2013 resulting in 430 civilian deaths, 5,400
      injuries and 1.1 billion in direct damage.
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Two of every five home fires start in the kitchen, mostly from ignition of  hot oil, food, or other cooking materials.
*    More than half of people injured in home fires involving cooking were hurt while attempting to fight the fire themselves.

Heating
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The leading factor contributing to heating equipment fires was failure to clean furnaces  and chimneys.

Smoking Materials
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Most deaths in home smoking-material fires were caused by fires that started in bedrooms or living rooms, family rooms or dens.
     One out of four fatal victims of smoking-material fires is not the smoker whose cigarette started the fire.

Electrical
*    Electrical failure or malfunctions caused an estimated 44,900 home fires in 2013, resulting in 410 deaths and $1.3 billion in direct
     property damage. 
     Electrical issues can cause fires in wiring, cords, lighting, dryers, and any other type of equipment that uses electricity.

Candles
*    On Average, there are 25 home candle fires reported per day.
      More than one-thrid of these fires started in the bedroom; however, the candle industry found that only 13% of candles users burn
      candles in the bedroom most often.