Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family Housing
of Three or More Stories
by AES Presence
Marty Ahrens
Fire Analysis and Research Division
National Fire Protection Association
April 2015
National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7471
www.nfpa.org
Acknowledgements
The National Fire Protection Association thanks all the fire departments and state fire authorities who
participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the annual NFPA fire
experience survey. These firefighters are the original sources of the detailed data that make this
analysis possible. Their contributions allow us to estimate the size of the fire problem.
We are also grateful to the U.S. Fire Administration for its work in developing, coordinating, and
maintaining NFIRS. For more information about the National Fire Protection Association, visit
www.nfpa.org or call 617-770-3000. To learn more about the One-Stop Data Shop go to
www.nfpa.org/osds or call 617-984-7450.
Copies of this analysis are available from:
National Fire Protection Association
One-Stop Data Shop
1 Batterymarch Park
Quincy, MA 02169-7471
www.nfpa.org
e-mail: osds@nfpa.org
phone: 617-984-7450
NFPA Index No. 2477
Copyright© 2015, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
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Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence
The attached tables show national estimates of fires in apartments or multi-family housing reported to
local fire departments. All estimates were derived from the detailed data collected in Version 5.0 of the
U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS 5.0) and NFPA’s annual fire
department experience survey.
Tables 1-15 show annual averages for the five-year period of 2007-2011 in properties that were not under
construction in three height groupings:
1) Three or four stories above ground;
2) Five or six stories above ground; and
3) Seven or more stories above ground. (Entries of more than 100 stories above ground were
considered errors and were treated as unknowns.
Tables 1A, 2A, and 3A show fires and losses by AES presence for each of the three height groups.
Tables 1B, 2B, and 3B show loss rates in reported fires when AES (or sprinklers) were present or not
present.
Tables 4-12 show extent of fire spread when AES was or was not present or was not in the fire area and
did not operate for each of the three height groups. The last category is based on an NFPA recode of the
data.
Tables 13-15 shows a breakdown of the areas of origin for fires with non-confined structure fire incident
types1 when AES was not in the fire area and did not operate for each of the three height groups. Incident
types of confined fires are also shown. Because of the large number of choices of area origin choices and
the small amount of known data, these were not broken down further for Tables 13-15.
Table 16 shows trend data for 2002-2011 for structure fires in reported apartment or multi-family homes
of 4 or 5 stores that were under construction. Table 17 shows comparable estimates for all residential
properties under similar conditions. Non-confined fires are shown in parentheses. Note that the first
column of fires shows the sum of non-confined and confined fires. Note also that larger fire departments
were slower to adopt NFIRS 5.0. This has two important implications for these tables.
1) Older versions of NFIRS did not have a separate data element that captured information about
whether a property was under construction, major renovation, demolition, vacant, idle, or in
normal operations. Instead, separate occupancy codes were used. This meant that we could not
distinguish a vacant mill from a vacant home.
2) The confined fire incident types were also introduced in Version 5.0.
Consequently, some of the increase over time may be due to changes in reporting practices.
1
NFIRS has six categories of structure fire incident types, collectively called confined fires, for which minimal
information is required, although it is sometimes provided. Confined fire incident types identify cooking fires
confined to the vessel of origin, confined chimney or flue fires, confined fuel burner or boiler fires, confined
incinerator overload or malfunction fires, confined commercial compactor fires, and contained or confined trash
fires that did not spread to other contents or the structure itself. Non-confined and confined fires were analyzed
separately and combined where appropriate. Structure fires with other incident types are collectively called nonconfined fires.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
1
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Fires in which the AES presence or height, and when appropriate, extent of fire spread or area of origin,
were unknown or not reported were allocated proportionally across known data. Tables 16 and 17 also
include a proportional share of fires in which the structure status was unknown or not reported. In most
cases, fires are rounded to the nearest ten, civilian deaths and injuries to the nearest one, and direct
property damage is rounded to the nearest hundred thousand dollars. This may vary depending on the
size of the estimates. Percentages were calculated before rounding. An estimate of zero may be zero or
may round to zero. Casualty and loss projections can be heavily influenced by the inclusion or exclusion
of one unusually serious fire. Except for trend tables, property damage has not been adjusted for
inflation. Additional details on the methodology may be found in Appendix A.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
2
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 1A.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
AES Presence
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
AES present
8,050
(25%)
9
(9%)
230
(17%)
$53
(13%)
Non-confined
1,570
(5%)
9
(9%)
130
(10%)
$51
(12%)
Confined
6,480
(20%)
0
(0%)
100
(7%)
$2
(1%)
Sprinklers
7,920
(25%)
8
(8%)
230
(17%)
$53
(13%)
Non-confined
1,550
(5%)
8
(8%)
130
(10%)
$51
(12%)
Confined
6,370
(20%)
0
(0%)
100
(7%)
$2
(1%)
130
(0%)
1
(1%)
0
(0%)
$0
(0%)
10
(0%)
1
(1%)
0
(0%)
$0
(0%)
Confined
110
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0
(0%)
Partial system present
190
(1%)
2
(2%)
11
(1%)
$7
(2%)
70
(0%)
2
(2%)
9
(1%)
$7
(2%)
120
(0%)
0
(0%)
2
(0%)
$0
(0%)
170
(1%)
0
(0%)
3
(0%)
$14
(3%)
70
(0%)
0
(0%)
3
(0%)
$14
(3%)
Unclassified or other AES
Non-confined
Non-confined
Confined
AES present but not in fire area and did
not operate (NFPA re-code)
Non-confined
Confined
100
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0
(0%)
23,330
(74%)
85
(89%)
1,088
(82%)
$340
(82%)
7,150
(23%)
85
(89%)
877
(66%)
$338
(82%)
Confined
16,180
(51%)
0
(0%)
211
(16%)
$2
(0%)
Total
31,730
(100%)
95
(100%)
1,333
(100%)
$414
(100%)
8,850
(28%)
95
(100%)
1,020
(77%)
$410
(99%)
22,880
(72%)
0
(0%)
313
(23%)
$4
(1%)
No AES present
Non-confined
Non-confined
Confined
Note: NFIRS has six categories of structure fire incident types, collectively called confined fires, for which minimal
information is required, although it is sometimes provided. Confined fire incident types identify cooking fires
confined to the vessel of origin, confined chimney or flue fires, confined fuel burner or boiler fires, confined
incinerator overload or malfunction fires, confined commercial compactor fires, and contained or confined trash
fires that did not spread to other contents or the structure itself. Non-confined and confined fires were analyzed
separately and summed. Structure fires with other incident types are collectively called non-confined fires. Sums
may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
3
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 1B
Fire Loss Rates in Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Deaths
per 1,000 Fires
Injuries
per 1,000 Fires
AES present
1.1
28.6
$6,600
Sprinklers present
1.0
29.0
$6,700
No AES present
3.6
46.6
$14,600
Total
3.0
42.0
$13,000
AES Presence
Average Loss per Fire
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
4
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 2A.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 5-6 Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
AES Presence
AES present
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
1,480
(35%)
2
(11%)
39
(16%)
$5.8
(26%)
250
(19%)
2
(11%)
29
(13%)
$5.6
(25%)
Confined
1,230
(43%)
0
(0%)
11
(71%)
$0.2
(54%)
Sprinklers
1,450
(34%)
2
(11%)
38
(16%)
$5.8
(26%)
250
(6%)
2
(11%)
27
(11%)
$5.6
(25%)
1,210
(29%)
0
(0%)
11
(5%)
$0.1
(1%)
Unclassified or other AES
30
(1%)
0
(0%)
1
(1%)
$0.0
(0%)
Non-confined
10
(0%)
0
(0%)
1
(1%)
$0.0
(0%)
Confined
20
(1%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Partial system present
90
(2%)
0
(2%)
1
(0%)
$0.8
(3%)
Non-confined
20
(1%)
0
(2%)
1
(0%)
$0.7
(3%)
Confined
AES present but not in fire area and did
not operate (NFPA re-code)
80
(3%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(13%)
60
(1%)
1
(4%)
2
(1%)
$1.1
(5%)
Non-confined
10
(1%)
1
(4%)
2
(1%)
$1.1
(5%)
Confined
50
(2%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(1%)
No AES present
2,580
(61%)
17
(83%)
198
(82%)
$14.7
(66%)
Non-confined
1,070
(79%)
17
(83%)
193
(86%)
$14.6
(66%)
Confined
1,520
(53%)
0
(0%)
4
(29%)
$0.1
(32%)
Total
4,220
(100%)
21
(100%)
240
(100%)
$22.4
(100%)
Non-confined
1,350
(100%)
21
(100%)
225
(100%)
$22.1
(100%)
Confined
2,870
(100%)
0
(0%)
15
(100%)
$0.3
(100%)
Non-confined
Non-confined
Confined
Note: NFIRS has six categories of structure fire incident types, collectively called confined fires, for which minimal
information is required, although it is sometimes provided. Confined fire incident types identify cooking fires
confined to the vessel of origin, confined chimney or flue fires, confined fuel burner or boiler fires, confined
incinerator overload or malfunction fires, confined commercial compactor fires, and contained or confined trash
fires that did not spread to other contents or the structure itself. Non-confined and confined fires were analyzed
separately and summed. Structure fires with other incident types are collectively called non-confined fires. Sums
may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
5
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 2B
Fire Loss Rates in Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 5-6 Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Deaths
per 1,000 Fires
Injuries
per 1,000 fires
Average loss per Fire
Sprinklers present
1.5
1.5
26.7
26.2
$3,900
$4,000
No AES present
6.8
76.6
$5,700
Total
5.0
56.9
$5,300
AES Presence
AES present
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
6
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 3A.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
AES Presence
AES present
Non-confined
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
4,400
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
(48%)
7
(27%)
93
(26%)
$10.1
(27%)
600
(6%)
7
(27%)
68
(19%)
$9.7
(26%)
Confined
3,810
(41%)
0
(0%)
25
(7%)
$0.4
(1%)
Sprinklers
4,290
(47%)
7
(25%)
90
(25%)
$10.0
(27%)
580
(6%)
7
(25%)
65
(18%)
$9.6
(26%)
3,710
(40%)
0
(0%)
25
(7%)
$0.4
(1%)
110
(1%)
0
(2%)
3
(1%)
$0.1
(0%)
10
(0%)
0
(2%)
3
(1%)
$0.1
(0%)
Confined
100
(1%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Partial system present
260
(3%)
1
(4%)
20
(5%)
$1.7
(5%)
40
(0%)
1
(4%)
10
(3%)
$1.7
(5%)
220
(2%)
0
(0%)
10
(3%)
$0.0
(0%)
110
(1%)
0
(2%)
3
(1%)
$0.3
(1%)
Non-confined
20
(0%)
0
(2%)
3
(1%)
$0.3
(1%)
Confined
80
(1%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
No AES present
4,440
(48%)
18
(67%)
245
(68%)
$24.7
(67%)
Non-confined
1,380
(15%)
18
(67%)
220
(61%)
$22.1
(60%)
Confined
3,060
(33%)
0
(0%)
25
(7%)
$2.6
(7%)
Total
9,210
(100%)
27
(100%)
361
(100%)
$36.8
(100%)
Non-confined
2,040
(22%)
27
(100%)
300
(83%)
$33.8
(92%)
Confined
7,170
(78%)
0
(0%)
60
(17%)
$2.9
(8%)
Non-confined
Confined
Unclassified or other AES
Non-confined
Non-confined
Confined
AES present but not in fire area and did
not operate (NFPA re-code)
Note: NFIRS has six categories of structure fire incident types, collectively called confined fires, for which minimal
information is required, although it is sometimes provided. Confined fire incident types identify cooking fires
confined to the vessel of origin, confined chimney or flue fires, confined fuel burner or boiler fires, confined
incinerator overload or malfunction fires, confined commercial compactor fires, and contained or confined trash
fires that did not spread to other contents or the structure itself. Non-confined and confined fires were analyzed
separately and summed. Structure fires with other incident types are collectively called non-confined fires. Sums
may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
7
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 3B
Fire Loss Rates in Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction, by AES Presence
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Deaths
per 1,000 Fires
Injuries
per 1,000 Fires
Average loss per Fire
Sprinklers present
1.7
1.6
21.1
20.9
$2,300
$2,300
No AES present
4.1
55.1
$5,600
Total
2.9
39.2
$4,000
AES Presence
AES present
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Table 4.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that Were Not Under Construction and in which AES was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
6,480
Civilian
Injuries
(81%)
0
(0%)
100
(43%)
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
$2.4
(5%)
Confined to object of origin
480
(6%)
2
(18%)
25
(11%)
$4.3
(8%)
Confined to room of origin
860
(11%)
3
(37%)
81
(35%)
$12.9
(24%)
Confined to floor of origin
70
(1%)
1
(9%)
6
(3%)
$3.0
(6%)
140
(2%)
2
(28%)
17
(8%)
$25.7
(48%)
20
(0%)
1
(10%)
0
(0%)
$5.0
(9%)
8,050
(100%)
9
(100%)
230
(100%)
$53.3
(100%)
Confined to building of origin
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
8
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 5.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which No AES Was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
16,180
(69%)
0
(0%)
211
(19%)
$2
(0%)
Confined to object of origin
1,570
(7%)
2
(2%)
65
(6%)
$7
(2%)
Confined to room of origin
3,130
(13%)
18
(22%)
331
(30%)
$32
(9%)
Confined to floor of origin
850
(4%)
14
(16%)
146
(13%)
$41
(12%)
1,380
(6%)
41
(48%)
273
(25%)
$211
(62%)
210
(1%)
10
(12%)
61
(6%)
$49
(14%)
23,330
(100%)
85
(100%)
1,088
(100%)
$340
(100%)
Confined to building of origin
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Table 6.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Confined fire identified by
incident type
100
(59%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Confined to object of origin
10
(8%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.1
(1%)
Confined to room of origin
20
(12%)
0
(NA)
1
(44%)
$0.5
(3%)
Confined to floor of origin
10
(7%)
0
(NA)
0
(11%)
$1.4
(10%)
Confined to building of origin
20
(11%)
0
(NA)
1
(45%)
$8.2
(60%)
0
(2%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$3.6
(26%)
170
(100%)
0
(NA)
3
(100%)
$13.8
(100%)
Beyond building of origin
Total
NA-Not applicable because no deaths were reported in these fires.
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
9
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 7.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 5-6 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
1,230
(83%)
0
(0%)
11
(27%)
$0.2
(3%)
Confined to object of origin
90
(6%)
0
(0%)
3
(7%)
$0.6
(10%)
Confined to room of origin
140
(9%)
2
(84%)
15
(38%)
$3.4
(58%)
Confined to floor of origin
10
(1%)
0
(0%)
8
(21%)
$0.9
(15%)
Confined to building of origin
10
(1%)
0
(16%)
3
(7%)
$0.8
(14%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1,480
(100%)
2
(100%)
39
(100%)
$5.8
(100%)
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Table 8.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 5-6 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which No AES Was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
1,520
(59%)
0
(0%)
4
(2%)
$0.1
(1%)
Confined to object of origin
290
(11%)
0
(0%)
11
(5%)
$0.2
(2%)
Confined to room of origin
530
(20%)
6
(37%)
84
(43%)
$4.1
(28%)
Confined to floor of origin
140
(5%)
2
(9%)
49
(25%)
$3.7
(25%)
Confined to building of origin
110
(4%)
9
(49%)
49
(25%)
$5.9
(40%)
10
(0%)
1
(5%)
0
(0%)
$0.7
(5%)
2,580
(100%)
17
(100%)
198
(100%)
$14.7
(100%)
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
10
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 9.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 5-6 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Fires
Civilian
Deaths
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Confined fire identified by
incident type
47
(77%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Confined to object of origin
3
(5%)
0
(50%)
0
(16%)
$0.0
(0%)
Confined to room of origin
6
(11%)
0
(50%)
1
(67%)
$0.2
(17%)
Confined to floor of origin
2
(4%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.5
(42%)
Confined to building of origin
2
(3%)
0
(0%)
0
(16%)
$0.4
(40%)
61
(100%)
1
(100%)
2
(100%)
$1.1
(100%)
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Table 10.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
3,810
(86%)
0
(0%)
25
(27%)
$0.4
(4%)
Confined to object of origin
220
(5%)
0
(0%)
12
(13%)
$1.4
(14%)
Confined to room of origin
310
(7%)
6
(89%)
48
(52%)
$6.3
(63%)
Confined to floor of origin
20
(0%)
0
(5%)
5
(5%)
$1.0
(10%)
Confined to building of origin
40
(1%)
0
(6%)
3
(3%)
$1.0
(10%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
4,400
(100%)
7
(100%)
93
(100%)
$10.1
(100%)
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
11
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 11.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which No AES Was Present, by Extent of Fire Spread
Extent of Fire Spread
Confined fire identified by
incident type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
3,060
(69%)
0
(0%)
Civilian
Injuries
25
Direct Property
Damage (in
Millions)
(10%)
$2.6
(10%)
Confined to object of origin
410
(9%)
1
(5%)
22
(9%)
$0.6
(2%)
Confined to room of origin
660
(15%)
12
(67%)
110
(45%)
$5.2
(21%)
Confined to floor of origin
140
(3%)
2
(13%)
63
(26%)
$3.5
(14%)
Confined to building of origin
170
(4%)
3
(16%)
23
(10%)
$12.3
(50%)
10
(0%)
0
(0%)
1
(0%)
$0.4
(2%)
4,440
(100%)
18
(100%)
245
(100%)
$24.7
(100%)
Beyond building of origin
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Table 12.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Extent of Fire Spread
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Extent of Fire Spread
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage (in
Millions)
Confined fire identified by
incident type
81
(77%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(1%)
Confined to object of origin
8
(8%)
0
(100%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(12%)
Confined to room of origin
11
(10%)
0
(0%)
3
(100%)
$0.2
(57%)
Confined to floor of origin
4
(4%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.1
(29%)
Confined to building of origin
2
(2%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(1%)
106
(100%)
0
(100%)
3
(100%)
$0.3
(100%)
Total
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
12
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 13.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Area of Origin
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Table 13A. Non-confined fires
Area of Origin
Exterior balcony or unenclosed
porch
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
19
(28%)
0
(NA)
2
(56%)
$5.9
(42%)
Kitchen or cooking area
7
(11%)
0
(NA)
1
(33%)
$0.0
(0%)
Courtyard, terrace or patio
Attic or ceiling/roof assembly or
concealed space
6
(8%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$4.1
(29%)
6
(8%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$1.4
(10%)
Bedroom
4
(6%)
0
(NA)
0
(11%)
$1.0
(7%)
Bathroom
4
(5%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.5
(3%)
Wall assembly or concealed space
2
(3%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Laundry room or area
2
(3%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Unclassified outside area
Living room, family room, common
room or den
Ceiling/floor assembly or concealed
space
2
(3%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.3
(2%)
2
(3%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
2
(3%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.2
(1%)
Exterior roof surface
2
(2%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.3
(2%)
Exterior wall surface
1
(2%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Unclassified structural area
Trash or rubbish chute, area or
container
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Heating equipment room
Duct for HVAC, cable, exhaust,
heating, or air conditioning
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Closet
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Unclassified means of egress
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Lawn, field or open area
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Hallway or corridor
1
(1%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Other known area
3
(5%)
0
(NA)
0
(0%)
$0.1
(1%)
69
(100%)
0
(NA)
3
(100%)
$13.8
(100%)
Subtotal
NA- Not applicable because no deaths were reported.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
13
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 13.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 3-4 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Area of Origin
2007-2011 Annual Averages (Continued)
13B. Fires with incident type indicating a confined structure fire
Incident type
Cooking fire confined to the vessel
of origin
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
71
(71%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(9%)
5
(5%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(91%)
Confined fuel burner or boiler fire
10
(10%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(0%)
Contained trash or rubbish fire
15
(15%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(0%)
Subtotal
100
(100%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(100%)
Total
169
Confined chimney or flue fire
0
3
$13.8
NA- Not applicable because no deaths or injuries were reported.
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
14
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 14.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 4-5 Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Area of Origin
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Table 14A. Non-confined Fires
Area of Origin
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Kitchen or cooking area
Living room, family room,
common room or den
3
(23%)
0
(0%)
0
(18%)
$0.0
(3%)
2
(12%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.1
(10%)
Bedroom
Exterior balcony or unenclosed
porch
2
(12%)
0
(50%)
0
(16%)
$0.0
(1%)
1
(9%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.4
(40%)
Exterior roof surface
Trash or rubbish chute, area or
container
Duct for HVAC, cable, exhaust,
heating or air conditioning
1
(6%)
0
(0%)
0
(16%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(5%)
0
(50%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(1%)
1
(5%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Heating equipment room
Machinery room or area or
elevator machinery room
1
(5%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(4%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Unclassified means of egress
1
(4%)
0
(0%)
1
(49%)
$0.0
(1%)
Other known area of origin
2
(16%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.5
(43%)
14
(100%)
1
(100%)
2
(100%)
$1.1
(100%)
Subtotal
Table 14B. Fires with incident type indicating a confined structure fire
Incident Type
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Cooking fire confined to the vessel
of origin
47
0
0
$0.0
Total
61
1
2
$1.0
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
15
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 15.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 7 or More Stories
that were Not under Construction and in which AES Was Present in Structure
but Not in Fire Area and Did Not Operate, by Area of Origin
2007-2011 Annual Averages
Table15A. Non-confined fires
Area of Origin
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Kitchen or cooking area
Living room, family room, common
room or den
9
(35%)
0
(100%)
0
(12%)
$0.0
(10%)
3
(13%)
0
(0%)
0
(11%)
$0.0
(1%)
Bedroom
2
(9%)
0
(0%)
1
(44%)
$0.2
(62%)
Exterior balcony or unenclosed porch
1
(5%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(10%)
Exterior wall surface
1
(4%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(1%)
Exterior roof surface
Ceiling/floor assembly or concealed
space
Machinery room or area or elevator
machinery room
Trash or rubbish chute, area or
container
1
(4%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(3%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
1
(3%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(2%)
1
(3%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Courtyard, terrace or patio
1
(2%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
$0.0
(0%)
Other known area or origin
5
(19%)
0
(0%)
1
(33%)
$0.0
(15%)
25
(100%)
0
(100%)
3
(100%)
$0.3
(100%)
Subtotal
Table 15B. Fires with incident type indicating a confined structure
Incident Type
Cooking fire confined to the vessel of
origin
Confined incinerator overload or
malfunction fire
Contained trash or rubbish fire
Subtotal
Total
Civilian
Deaths
Fires
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Property
Damage
(in Millions)
67
(83%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(74%)
5
(6%)
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(0%)
9
(11)%
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(26%)
81
100.0%
0
(NA)
0
(NA)
$0.0
(100%)
106
0
3
$0.3
NA- Not applicable because no deaths or injuries were reported in these confined fires.
Note: Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
16
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Table 16.
Reported Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Story Housing of 4-5 Stories
that Were under Construction, by Year, 2002-2011
Civilian
Deaths
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Adjusted to
2011
Dollars
Year
Fires
Non-Confined
Fires
2002
30
(27)
0
0
$0.8
$1.0
2003
20
(16)
0
0
$0.2
$0.2
2004
30
(28)
0
0
$36.4
$43.4
2005
30
(34)
0
0
$11.2
$12.9
2006
30
(27)
0
0
$0.0
$0.0
2007
70
(34)
0
2
$28.6
$31.0
2008
70
(38)
2
0
$21.8
$22.8
2009
50
(27)
0
0
$45.1
$47.2
2010
60
(25)
0
0
$1.0
$1.0
2011
100
(20)
0
4
$8.9
$8.9
Table 17.
Reported Structure Fires in All Residential Structures of 4-5 Stories
that Were under Construction, by Year, 2002-2011
Civilian
Deaths
Civilian
Injuries
Direct
Property
Damage
(in Millions)
Adjusted to
2011
Dollars
Year
Fires
Non-Confined
Fires
2002
50
(46)
0
0
$25.5
$31.8
2003
20
(23)
0
0
$0.2
$0.3
2004
40
(37)
0
0
$38.6
$46.0
2005
100
(47)
0
0
$11.9
$13.7
2006
40
(42)
0
0
$0.1
$0.1
2007
100
(63)
0
2
$42.3
$45.8
2008
80
(57)
2
0
$22.1
$23.0
2009
70
(40)
0
0
$59.4
$62.3
2010
70
(39)
0
0
$1.0
$1.1
2011
110
(32)
0
4
$9.6
$9.6
Note: Larger fire departments were often slower to start using Version 5.0 of NFIRS. The increase in total fires and
confined fires (which are included in the total) may be partially due to changes in the composition of the data
Source: NFIRS 5.0 and NFPA survey.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
17
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Appendix A.
How National Estimates Statistics Are Calculated
The statistics in this analysis are estimates derived from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s)
National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s
(NFPA’s) annual survey of U.S. fire departments. NFIRS is a voluntary system by which
participating fire departments report detailed factors about the fires to which they respond.
Roughly two-thirds of U.S. fire departments participate, although not all of these departments
provide data every year. Fires reported to federal or state fire departments or industrial fire
brigades are not included in these estimates.
NFIRS provides the most detailed incident information of any national database not limited to large
fires. NFIRS is the only database capable of addressing national patterns for fires of all sizes by
specific property use and specific fire cause. NFIRS also captures information on the extent of
flame spread, and automatic detection and suppression equipment. For more information about
NFIRS visit http://www.nfirs.fema.gov/. Copies of the paper forms may be downloaded from
http://www.nfirs.fema.gov/documentation/design/NFIRS_Paper_Forms_2008.pdf.
NFIRS has a wide variety of data elements and code choices. The NFIRS database contains
coded information. Many code choices describe several conditions. These cannot be broken
down further. For example, area of origin code 83 captures fires starting in vehicle engine areas,
running gear areas or wheel areas. It is impossible to tell the portion of each from the coded data.
Methodology may change slightly from year to year.
NFPA is continually examining its methodology to provide the best possible answers to specific
questions, methodological and definitional changes can occur. Earlier editions of the same report
may have used different methodologies to produce the same analysis, meaning that the estimates
are not directly comparable from year to year.
NFPA’s fire department experience survey provides estimates of the big picture.
Each year, NFPA conducts an annual survey of fire departments which enables us to capture a
summary of fire department experience on a larger scale. Surveys are sent to all municipal
departments protecting populations of 50,000 or more and a random sample, stratified by
community size, of the smaller departments. Typically, a total of roughly 3,000 surveys are
returned, representing about one of every ten U.S. municipal fire departments and about one third
of the U.S. population.
The survey is stratified by size of population protected to reduce the uncertainty of the final
estimate. Small rural communities have fewer people protected per department and are less likely
to respond to the survey. A larger number must be surveyed to obtain an adequate sample of
those departments. (NFPA also makes follow-up calls to a sample of the smaller fire departments
that do not respond, to confirm that those that did respond are truly representative of fire
departments their size.) On the other hand, large city departments are so few in number and
protect such a large proportion of the total U.S. population that it makes sense to survey all of
them. Most respond, resulting in excellent precision for their part of the final estimate.
The survey includes the following information: (1) the total number of fire incidents, civilian
deaths, and civilian injuries, and the total estimated property damage (in dollars), for each of the
major property use classes defined in NFIRS; (2) the number of on-duty firefighter injuries, by
type of duty and nature of illness; 3) the number and nature of non-fire incidents; and (4)
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
18
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
information on the type of community protected (e.g., county versus township versus city) and
the size of the population protected, which is used in the statistical formula for projecting national
totals from sample results. The results of the survey are published in the annual report Fire Loss
in the United States. To download a free copy of the report, visit
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/OS.fireloss.pdf.
Projecting NFIRS to National Estimates
As noted, NFIRS is a voluntary system. Different states and jurisdictions have different reporting
requirements and practices. Participation rates in NFIRS are not necessarily uniform across
regions and community sizes, both factors correlated with frequency and severity of fires. This
means NFIRS may be susceptible to systematic biases. No one at present can quantify the size of
these deviations from the ideal, representative sample, so no one can say with confidence that
they are or are not serious problems. But there is enough reason for concern so that a second
database -- the NFPA survey -- is needed to project NFIRS to national estimates and to project
different parts of NFIRS separately. This multiple calibration approach makes use of the annual
NFPA survey where its statistical design advantages are strongest.
Scaling ratios are obtained by comparing NFPA’s projected totals of residential structure fires,
non-residential structure fires, vehicle fires, and outside and other fires, and associated civilian
deaths, civilian injuries, and direct property damage with comparable totals in NFIRS. Estimates
of specific fire problems and circumstances are obtained by multiplying the NFIRS data by the
scaling ratios. Reports for incidents in which mutual aid was given are excluded from NFPA’s
analyses.
Analysts at the NFPA, the USFA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission developed the
specific basic analytical rules used for this procedure. “The National Estimates Approach to U.S.
Fire Statistics,” by John R. Hall, Jr. and Beatrice Harwood, provides a more detailed explanation
of national estimates. A copy of the article is available online at http://www.nfpa.org/osds or
through NFPA's One-Stop Data Shop.
Version 5.0 of NFIRS, first introduced in 1999, used a different coding structure for many data elements,
added some property use codes, and dropped others. The essentials of the approach described by Hall and
Harwood are still used, but some modifications have been necessary to accommodate the changes in
NFIRS 5.0.
Figure A.1 shows the percentage of fires originally collected in the NFIRS 5.0 system. Each year’s
release version of NFIRS data also includes data collected in older versions of NFIRS that were converted
to NFIRS 5.0 codes.
From 1999 data on, analyses are based on scaling ratios using only data originally collected in NFIRS 5.0:
NFPA survey projections
NFIRS totals (Version 5.0)
For 1999 to 2001, the same rules may be applied, but estimates for these years in this form will be less
reliable due to the smaller amount of data originally collected in NFIRS 5.0; they should be viewed with
extreme caution.
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
Housing of 3 or More Stories by AES Presence, 4/15
19
NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Figure A.1. Fires Originally Collected in NFIRS 5.0 by Year
100%
88%
94%
94%
97%
99% 100% 100% 100%
79%
80%
65%
60%
48%
40%
21%
20%
7%
0%
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
NFIRS 5.0 introduced six categories of confined structure fires, including:
 cooking fires confined to the cooking vessel,
 confined chimney or flue fires,
 confined incinerator fire,
 confined fuel burner or boiler fire or delayed ignition,
 confined commercial compactor fire, and
 trash or rubbish fires in a structure with no flame damage to the structure or its contents.
Because this analysis focused on fatalities only, no distinction was made between confined and nonconfined fires.
For most fields other than Property Use and Incident Type, NFPA allocates unknown data proportionally
among known data. This approach assumes that if the missing data were known, it would be distributed
in the same manner as the known data. NFPA makes additional adjustments to several fields. Casualty
and loss projections can be heavily influenced by the inclusion or exclusion of unusually serious fire.
In the formulas that follow, the term “all fires” refers to all fires in NFIRS on the dimension studied. The
percentages of fires with known or unknown data are provided for non-confined fires and associated
losses, and for confined fires only.
Rounding and percentages. The data shown are estimates and generally rounded. An entry of zero may
be a true zero or it may mean that the value rounds to zero. Percentages are calculated from unrounded
values. It is quite possible to have a percentage entry of up to 100% even if the rounded number entry is
zero. The same rounded value may account for a slightly different percentage share. Because
percentages are expressed in integers and not carried out to several decimal places, percentages that
appear identical may be associated with slightly different values.
In the formulas that follow, the term “all fires” refers to all fires in NFIRS on the dimension studied. The
percentages of fires with known or unknown data are provided for non-confined fires and associated
losses, and for confined fires only.
Cause of Ignition: This field is used chiefly to identify intentional fires. “Unintentional” in this field is
a specific entry and does not include other fires that were not intentionally set: failure of equipment or
Structure Fires in Apartments or Multi-Family
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heat source, act of nature, or “other” (unclassified).” The last should be used for exposures but has been
used for other situations as well. Fires that were coded as under investigation and those that were coded
as undetermined after investigation were treated as unknown.
Factor Contributing to Ignition: In this field, the code “none” is treated as an unknown and allocated
proportionally. For Human Factor Contributing to Ignition, NFPA enters a code for “not reported” when
no factors are recorded. “Not reported” is treated as an unknown, but the code “none” is treated as a
known code and not allocated. Multiple entries are allowed in both of these fields. Percentages are
calculated on the total number of fires, not entries, resulting in sums greater than 100%. Although Factor
Contributing to Ignition is only required when the cause of ignition was coded as: 2) unintentional, 3)
failure of equipment or heat source; or 4) act of nature, data is often present when not required.
Consequently, any fire in which no factor contributing to ignition was entered was treated as unknown.
In some analyses, all entries in the category of mechanical failure, malfunction (factor contributing to
ignition 20-29) are combined and shown as one entry, “mechanical failure or malfunction.” This category
includes:
21. Automatic control failure;
22. Manual control failure;
23. Leak or break. Includes leaks or breaks from containers or pipes. Excludes operational
deficiencies and spill mishaps;
25. Worn out;
26. Backfire. Excludes fires originating as a result of hot catalytic converters;
27. Improper fuel used; Includes the use of gasoline in a kerosene heater and the like; and
20. Mechanical failure or malfunction, other.
Entries in “electrical failure, malfunction” (factor contributing to ignition 30-39) may also be combined
into one entry, “electrical failure or malfunction.” This category includes:
31. Water-caused short circuit arc;
32. Short-circuit arc from mechanical damage;
33. Short-circuit arc from defective or worn insulation;
34. Unspecified short circuit arc;
35. Arc from faulty contact or broken connector, including broken power lines and loose connections;
36. Arc or spark from operating equipment, switch, or electric fence;
37. Fluorescent light ballast; and
30. Electrical failure or malfunction, other.
Heat Source. In NFIRS 5.0, one grouping of codes encompasses various types of open flames and
smoking materials. In the past, these had been two separate groupings. A new code was added to NFIRS
5.0, which is code 60: “Heat from open flame or smoking material, other.” NFPA treats this code as a
partial unknown and allocates it proportionally across the codes in the 61-69 range, shown below.
61. Cigarette;
62. Pipe or cigar;
63. Heat from undetermined smoking material;
64. Match;
65. Lighter: cigarette lighter, cigar lighter;
66. Candle;
67 Warning or road flare, fuse;
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NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
68. Backfire from internal combustion engine. Excludes flames and sparks from an exhaust system,
(11); and
69. Flame/torch used for lighting. Includes gas light and gas-/liquid-fueled lantern.
In addition to the conventional allocation of missing and undetermined fires, NFPA multiplies fires with
codes in the 61-69 range by
All fires in range 60-69
All fires in range 61-69
The downside of this approach is that heat sources that are truly a different type of open flame or smoking
material are erroneously assigned to other categories. The grouping “smoking materials” includes codes
61-63 (cigarettes, pipes or cigars, and heat from undetermined smoking material, with a proportional
share of the code 60s and true unknown data.
Equipment Involved in Ignition (EII). NFIRS 5.0 originally defined EII as the piece of equipment that
provided the principal heat source to cause ignition if the equipment malfunctioned or was used
improperly. In 2006, the definition was modified to “the piece of equipment that provided the principal
heat source to cause ignition.” However, much of the data predates the change. Individuals who have
already been trained with the older definition may not change their practices. To compensate, NFPA
treats fires in which EII = NNN and heat source is not in the range of 40-99 as an additional unknown.
To allocate unknown data for EII, the known data is multiplied by
All fires
(All fires – blank – undetermined – [fires in which EII =NNN and heat source <>40-99])
In addition, the partially unclassified codes for broad equipment groupings (i.e., code 100 - heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning, other; code 200 - electrical distribution, lighting and power transfer,
other; etc.) were allocated proportionally across the individual code choices in their respective broad
groupings (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical distribution, lighting and power transfer,
other; etc.). Equipment that is totally unclassified is not allocated further. This approach has the same
downside as the allocation of heat source 60 described above. Equipment that is truly different is
erroneously assigned to other categories.
In some analyses, various types of equipment are grouped together.
Code Grouping
Central heat
Fixed or portable space heater
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EII Code
132
133
131
123
124
141
142
143
NFIRS definitions
Furnace or central heating unit
Boiler (power, process or heating)
Furnace, local heating unit, built-in
Fireplace with insert or stove
Heating stove
Heater, excluding catalytic and oil-filled
Catalytic heater
Oil-filled heater
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NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA
Fireplace or chimney
Fixed wiring and related equipment
Transformers and power supplies
Code Grouping
Lamp, bulb or lighting
120
121
122
125
Fireplace or chimney
Fireplace, masonry
Fireplace, factory-built
Chimney connector or vent connector
126
127
Chimney – brick, stone or masonry
Chimney-metal, including stovepipe or flue
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
Unclassified electrical wiring
Electrical power or utility line
Electrical service supply wires from utility
Electric meter or meter box
Wiring from meter box to circuit breaker
Panel board, switch board or circuit breaker
board
Electrical branch circuit
Outlet or receptacle
Wall switch
Ground fault interrupter
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
Distribution-type transformer
Overcurrent, disconnect equipment
Low-voltage transformer
Generator
Inverter
Uninterrupted power supply (UPS)
Surge protector
Battery charger or rectifier
Battery (all types)
EII Code
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
241
242
243
244
Cord or plug
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261
NFIRS definitions
Unclassified lamp or lighting
Lamp-tabletop, floor or desk
Lantern or flashlight
Incandescent lighting fixture
Fluorescent light fixture or ballast
Halogen light fixture or lamp
Sodium or mercury vapor light fixture or
lamp
Work or trouble light
Light bulb
Nightlight
Decorative lights – line voltage
Decorative or landscape lighting – low
voltage
Sign
Unclassified cord or plug
Power cord or plug, detachable from
appliance
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262
263
Power cord or plug- permanently attached
Extension cord
Torch, burner or soldering iron
331
332
333
334
Welding torch
Cutting torch
Burner, including Bunsen burners
Soldering equipment
Portable cooking or warming equipment
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
641
Coffee maker or teapot
Food warmer or hot plate
Kettle
Popcorn popper
Pressure cooker or canner
Slow cooker
Toaster, toaster oven, counter-top broiler
Waffle iron, griddle
Wok, frying pan, skillet
Breadmaking machine
Equipment was not analyzed separately for confined fires. Instead, each confined fire incident type was
listed with the equipment or as other known equipment.
Item First Ignited. In most analyses, mattress and pillows (item first ignited 31) and bedding, blankets,
sheets, and comforters (item first ignited 32) are combined and shown as “mattresses and bedding.” In
many analyses, wearing apparel not on a person (code 34) and wearing apparel on a person (code 35) are
combined and shown as “clothing.” In some analyses, flammable and combustible liquids and gases,
piping and filters (item first ignited 60-69) are combined and shown together.
Area of Origin. Two areas of origin: bedroom for more than five people (code 21) and bedroom for less
than five people (code 22) are combined and shown as simply “bedroom.” Chimney is no longer a valid
area of origin code for non-confined fires.
Rounding and percentages. The data shown are estimates and generally rounded. An entry of zero may
be a true zero or it may mean that the value rounds to zero. Percentages are calculated from unrounded
values. It is quite possible to have a percentage entry of up to 100% even if the rounded number entry is
zero. The same rounded value may account for a slightly different percentage share. Because
percentages are expressed in integers and not carried out to several decimal places, percentages that
appear identical may be associated with slightly different values.
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