Every year, the first week of October is designated as Fire Prevention Week (this year, Oct. 4-10). To celebrate Fire Prevention Week, we will be posting new fire safety facts/hints/tips each day.
Fire Facts
- In 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to 386,500 home fires. These fires killed 2,755 civilians. Eighty-three percent of all fire deaths resulted from home fires.
- Someone was injured in a home fire every 40 minutes and roughly eight people died in home fires every day during 2008.
- A fire department responded to a home fire every 81 seconds.
- Almost two-thirds of reported home fire deaths in 2003-2006 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- About 1/3 of home fires and deaths happened in the months of December, January and February.
- Cooking continues to be the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries.
- Smoking materials caused one of every four home fire deaths.
- The kitchen is the leading area of origin for home fires. However, bedrooms and living/family rooms are the leading areas of origin for home fire deaths.
- Burn injuries result in hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits a year. Thermal burns outnumber scalds nearly two-to-one.
