Three hundred ninety-nine thousand home fires were reported in the United States in 2007, according to theNational Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s)recently released家庭结构火灾report. The category of homes includes one- and two-family dwellings and apartments.
On average, eight people die in home fires every day in the United States–a total of 2,865 deaths. Home fires accounted for 84 percent of all civilian fire deaths and resulted in 13,600 injuries. Direct property damage was estimated at $7.4 billion.
The report further breaks down causes and circumstances of home fires reported during the four year period of 2003-2006.
Highlights include:
- 大约三分之一的报告了家庭大火和家庭火灾死亡发生在12月，1月和2月。
- Cooking equipment is the leading cause of fires, civilian fire injuries, and unreported fires.
- 据报道，约有41％的家庭大火在厨房或烹饪区开始。
- Smoking was the leading cause of civilian home structure fire deaths.
- Heating ranked second in home structure fire deaths (in one- or two-family dwellings and apartments) overall, and was the leading cause of fire-related deaths in one- or two-family dwellings.
- Heating equipment fires caused the largest percentage of direct property damage.
- 五岁以下的儿童和65岁及以上的儿童面临着家庭火灾死亡的最高风险。
- Almost two thirds of home fire deaths occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.
- Ninety-six percent of all homes have at least one smoke alarm.
- More than half (53 percent) of the people killed by home fires were in the room or area of origin when the fire started.
Although considerable progress has been made, there is more that can be done to protect and provide added safety to every home.
More:www.nfpa.org
