Residential Building Fire Dollar-Loss Causes (2012‑2021)

Overall trends

Overall trends in the leading fire dollar loss^* causes for the 10-year period of 2012 to 2021 show the following:

• Other unintentional, careless was the leading cause of residential fire dollar loss for the 10-year period.
• A 58% increase in residential other unintentionally or carelessly set fire dollar loss.
  In 2018, there were 33 incidents with a reported dollar loss of $1,000,000 or more, 30 in 2019, 24 in 2020 and 42 in 2021. These incidents may have contributed to the continued increase in fire dollar loss. The 2021 high-dollar loss fires included a $20,000,000 large residential fire in Palo Alto, California.
• A 27% increase in residential electrical malfunction fire dollar loss.
  In 2018 there were 32 incidents with a reported dollar loss of $1,000,000 or more, 14 in 2019, 13 in 2020 and 23 in 2021.These incidents may have contributed to the continued increase in fire dollar loss. The 2019 high-dollar-loss fires included a $26,400,000 hotel fire in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• A 5% increase in residential open-flame fire dollar loss.
• An $80,000,000 under-construction apartment and hotel complex fire in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to the peak in the 2020 residential intentionally set fire dollar loss.
• The spike in the 2016 residential exposure fire dollar loss is attributed in part to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, wildfires.