Home Fires Started by Smoking

Report: NFPA's "Home Fires Started by Smoking"
Author: Marty Ahrens
Issued: January 2019

Report and supporting tables

Home Fires Started by Smoking

This analysis of home structure fires explores trends in smoking fires and smoking practices as well items first ignited, area or origin, and victim patterns in these fires.

Download the report.

Supporting tables

The tables in this document are a companion to the report of the same name. Firefighter deaths and injuries are excluded from this analysis.

Download the tables.

Report highlights

• During 2012-2016, an estimated annual average of 18,100 (5%) reported home structure fires started by smoking materials killed an average of 590 (23%) people annually, injured 1,130 (10%) per year, and caused $476 million in direct property damage (7%) per year.
• One in 20 home (5%) home structure fires were started by smoking materials. These fires caused almost one in four (23%) home fire deaths, and one in 10 (10%) home fire injuries.
• Smoking was the leading cause of home fire deaths for the five year period of 2012-2016. Overall, one of every 31 home smoking material fires resulted in death.
• The leading area of origin for home smoking fires in 2012-2016 was an exterior balcony or open porch (18%).
• Forty-three percent of the deaths were caused by fires that started in the living room. One-third (34%) were caused by fires that began in the bedroom.

More information

• Related report - Electronic Cigarette Explosions and Fires: The 2015 Experience (PDF), April 2016
• Read NFPA's smoking safety tips. (PDF) 

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