Residential Building Fire Dollar-Loss Causes (2013-2022)

Overall trends

Overall trends in the leading fire dollar loss^* causes for the 10-year period of 2013 to 2022 show the following:

• Other unintentional, careless was the leading cause of residential fire dollar loss for the 10-year period.
• A 74% 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, 42 in 2021 and 58 in 2022. 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. The 2022 high-dollar loss fires included a $10,900,000 house fire in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and a $10,400,000 apartment building fire in Tacoma, Washington.
• 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, 23 in 2021 and 31 in 2022. 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. The 2022 high-dollar loss fires included an $11,000,000 apartment building fire in Belton, Missouri.
• A 19% increase in residential open-flame fire dollar loss.
• A reported $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 was attributed in part to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, wildfires.