October 3-9, 2004 is Fire Prevention Week.  Residential fires are the leading cause of fire-related mortality. In 2002, fire departments responded to 401,000 residential fires in the United States that claimed the lives of an estimated 2,670 people and injured another 14,050. Residential fires accounted for more than $6.1 billion in direct property damage. On average in the United States in 2002, a civilian died in a fire nearly every 3 hours, and someone was injured every 37 minutes (Karter 2003).

The death rates from residential fires are three times higher for older adults than they are for any other age group (CDC 203).  Residential fires also disproportionately affect young children, African Americans, Native Americans, and the poorest Americans (U.S. Fire Administration 2001; Istre 2001).  Smoke alarms decrease the chances of dying in a house fire by 40-50%.  However, about one-quarter of U.S. households lack working smoke alarms (Ahrens 2001).

For more information see the fact sheet on fire deaths and injuries, which includes tips on how to prevent residential fire-related injuries, and read the recent CDC MMWR article on non-fatal injuries.

 
References

Ahrens M.  U.S. experience with smoke alarms and other fire alarms.  Quincy (MA): National Fire Protection Association; 2001.

CDC. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. [2004 Sept 20].

Istre GR, McCoy MA, Osborn L, Barnard JJ, Bolton A.  Deaths and injuries from house fires.  New England Journal of Medicine 2001;344:1911–6.