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Fast Facts
Knowing the facts is the key to fire safety
Fire deaths
- In the United States, someone is fatally
injured in a home fire roughly every 170
minutes.
- In Canada, someone is fatally injured in
a home fire roughly every 31 hours.
- Smoking materials such as cigarettes,
cigars and pipes are the leading cause of
fire deaths in the United States. The
majority of residential fires associated with
smoking materials started as a result of
careless or improper disposal.
Home escape planning
- According to an
NFPA survey, 26 percent of Americans said
they had never thought about practicing a
home fire escape plan. Three percent said
they didn't believe that practice was
necessary.
Heating
- During the months of December, January
and February, heating equipment is the
leading cause of home fires. Two-thirds of
home heating fire deaths were caused by
portable or fixed space heaters.
Candles
- Over the last decade, candle fires have
almost tripled. In 1999 alone, an estimated
15,040 home fires started by candles were
reported to fire departments. These fires
resulted in 102 deaths, 1,473 injuries and an
estimated property loss of $278 million.
- Forty percent of U.S. home candle fires
begin in the bedroom.
Cooking
- More fires start in the kitchen than in
any other place in the home.
- Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home
fires and home fire injuries.
- Unattended cooking is the leading cause
of home cooking fires.
Electrical
- Electrical fires and shocks kill hundreds
of people and injure thousands each year.
- In 1999, electrical distribution
equipment was the fourth leading cause of
home structure fires, but ranked first in
cause of direct property damage.
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