The U.S. fire problem

Apartment structure fires by year

Click graphs for larger image.

Year	Fires	Civilian deaths	Civilian injuries	Direct property damage (In millions) As reported	Direct property damage (In millions) In 2011 dollars
1980	143,500	1,025	3,600	$401	$1,095
1981	137,000	970	4,250	$415	$1,024
1982	116,500	860	4,700	$353	$821
1983	102,000	845	4,300	$413	$931
1984	99,500	785	3,650	$417	$901
1985	104,500	865	3,925	$476	$993
1986	97,500	650	3,925	$472	$968
1987	103,500	790	4,765	$521	$1,030
1988	106,000	830	4,950	$548	$1,042
1989	96,000	790	5,050	$541	$981
1990	95,500	680	4,975	$623	$1,072
1991	101,500	595	5,675	$609¹	$1,005¹
1992	101,500	545	5,825	$597	$957
1993	100,000	685	6,300	$653²	$1,015²
1994	97,000	640	5,475	$678	$1,028
1995	94,000	605	5,200	$649	$957
1996	93,000	565	5,175	$748	$1,072
1997	93,000	660	5,000	$718	$1,005
1998	86,500	445	5,000	$631	$871
1999	88,500	520	4,500	$842	$1,135
2000	84,500	500	4,400	$886	$1,157
2001	88,000	460	3,800	$864	$1,097
2002	88,500	390	3,700	$926	$1,157
2003	91,500	410	3,650	$897³	$1,097³
2004	94,000	510	3,200	$885	$1,054
2005	94,000	460	3,000	$948	$1,091
2006	91,500	425	3,700	$896	$999
2007	98,500	515	3,950	$1,164⁴	$1,261⁴²
2008	95,500	390	3,975	$1,351⁵	$1,412⁴
2009	90,000	465	3,350	$1,225⁵	$1,283⁵
2010	90,500	440	3,950	^$1,003	$1,065
2011	95,500	415	4,425	^$1,168	$1,168

Note: These are national estimates of fires reported to the U.S. municipal fire dpeartments and so exclude fires reported only to federal or state agencies or industrial fire brigades. National estimates are projections. Casualty and loss projections can be heavily influenced by the inclusion or exclusion of one unusually serious fire. Fires are rounded to the nearest hundred, civilian deaths and injuries are rounded to the nearest ten, and direct property damage is rounded to the nearest million dollars.

Direct property damage figures do not include indirect losses, like business interruption.

Inflation adjustment to 2011 dolalrs is done using the consumer price index.

1 Does not include $1.5 billion in damage caused by the Oakland Fire Storm.

2 Does not include $809 million in damage caused by Southern California Wildfires.

3 Does not include the Southern California Wildfires with an estimated property damage of $2 billion.

4 This does not include the California Fire Storm 2007 with an estimated property damage of $1.8 billion.

5 Does not include California wildfires 2008.

Source: Fire Loss in the United States 2011, Michael J. Karter, Jr., September 2012 and previous reports in the series.

Updated: 9/12

			Overview of the U.S. fire problem

			Number of fires by type of fire

			Home fires

			Homes Fires with Ten or More Fatalities

			One- and two-family home fires (includes manufactured homes)

			Structure fires

			Residential structure fires

			Non-residential structure fires

			Apartment structure fires

			Non-home structure fires

			U.S. highway vehicle fires