Facts on Fires

• Fire injures or kills over 40,000 children each year in the United States.
• The leading cause of fires that cause at least one fatality is smoking.
• Each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
• Fires is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home: at least 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in residences.
• Smoke alarms either were not present or did not operate in 75% of residences and 80% of non-residences.
• Most fatalities from fire occur between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. -- while most people are asleep. Smoke from a fire in the home can and will kill quickly and silently without adequate smoke alarms.
• A home fire starts somewhere in this country every 82 seconds and doubles in intensity every 30 seconds.

Statistics from United States Fire Administration web site.