Report: NFPA's "Home Fires Involving Entertainment Equipment"
Author: John R. Hall, Jr.
Issued: March 2009
The topic of this report is home entertainment equipment such as televisions, stereos, radios, VCRs and audio CD players. The report includes statistics by equipment type, factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin. Suggested safety tips are also included.
Introduction
This report provides statistics on home fires involving entertainment equipment. In 2003-2006, there were an estimated 1,790 non-confined home structure fires per year involving entertainment equipment reported to U.S. fire departments, with associated annual losses of 11 civilian deaths, 103 civilian injuries, and $54 million in direct property damage. The specific types of entertainment equipment with the largest shares of fires were televisions (44%), stereos (13%), and radios (12%).
