USFA: Half of home fire deaths occur in bedrooms
Emmitsburg, MD – About half of all fire deaths in homes occurred in the early morning hours, and one-third of victims were asleep, according to a recent U.S. Fire Administration report on 2011-2013 residential fire fatalities.
About six civilians were killed for every 1,000 residential fires, resulting in 2,530 deaths during the three-year period examined in the USFA report, which was released July 21.
Half of all fire deaths occurred in bedrooms, and 52 percent occurred from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. The leading causes of fatal residential fires included unintentional or careless actions – such as misuse of materials or placing a heat source too close to combustibles – and smoking.
Most fatal fires are preventable, and the USFA offers several tips to prevent unintentional fire deaths: