Release Date: September 21, 2007
USFA RELEASES FIRES AND EXPOSURES REPORT
WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has
issued a special report examining the causes and characteristics
of fires that lead to exposure fires. The report, Fires and
Exposures, developed by the USFA's National Fire Data Center, is
part of the Topical Fire Research Series and is based on 2004
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data. In 2004,
an estimated 12,100 fires spread beyond their boundaries and
caused an estimated 18,600 additional fires referred to as
exposure fires. These source fires and their subsequent exposure
fires resulted in an estimated total of $803 million in direct
losses, 875 injuries, and 275 fatalities.
"Preventing exposure fires involves controlling the spread of
fire,"
explained U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. "It is critical
to ensure sprinklers are installed to prevent fire spread. The
installation of fire sprinkler systems can save lives, prevent
injuries, and greatly reduce property losses."
Forty-nine percent of all source fires, those fires leading
to exposure fires, occur in structures. Additionally,
twenty-eight percent of the source fires are vehicle fires, and
21 percent are outside fires.
Structure source fires have over seven times the fire death
rate, over five times the loss rate, and over four times the
fire injury rate as the average structure fire.
A copy of the full report can be downloaded at