Skip to main content

Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Nonresidential Building Intentional Fire Trends (2012‑2021)

National estimates

The 2021 national estimates for nonresidential building intentional fires and loss show that there were:

  • 17,700 fires.
  • $208,400,000 in dollar loss.

Overall trends

Overall trends for nonresidential building intentional fires and loss for the 10-year period of 2012 to 2021 show the following:

  • A 92% increase in fires.
  • A 27% increase in dollar loss.*
    A $26,465,000 San Francisco, California, building supply warehouse fire with several exposures and a $17,000,000 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire reported in a mercantile or business property contributed to the increase in fire dollar loss in 2020.

*This overall constant dollar-loss trend takes inflation into account by adjusting each year's dollar loss to its equivalent 2021 value.

Fires and dollar loss

Deaths and injuries by individual causes are not shown, as small numbers of nonresidential building casualties are reported to the NFIRS, and many of the fires that caused these casualties have insufficient information to determine fire cause.

Nonresidential building intentional fires

2012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Fires970091008800980090001090010200120001460017700

Nonresidential building intentional fire dollar loss

YearDollar loss
2012317500000
2013221300000
2014221400000
2015212600000
2016232600000
2017247500000
2018175400000
2019188500000
2020561500000
2021208400000