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Topical Fire Report Series December 2018 | Volume 19, Issue 8

Residential Building Electrical Fires (2014-2016)

It's hard to imagine a home without electricity in the United States but using it can have dangerous consequences. This report addresses the characteristics of home electrical fires from 2014 to 2016.

Download the 14-page report

At a Glance

From 2014 to 2016, an estimated
24,000
residential building electrical fires were reported to United States fire departments each year.

These fires caused an estimated:

310 deaths

310 deaths

850 injuries

850 injuries

$871 million

$871 million in property loss

2 times

Residential building electrical fires resulted in over twice the dollar loss per fire than residential building nonelectrical fires did.

1- and 2-family dwellings

Residential building electrical fires occurred most often in 1- and 2-family dwellings (83%).

January

Residential building electrical fires occurred most often in the winter month of January (12%).


17%

In only 17% of residential building electrical fires, the fire spread was limited to the object where the fire started.

bedrooms

Residential building electrical fires most often started in bedrooms (15%) and attics or vacant crawl spaces (13%).