House fires happen every day, which results in a large number of injuries and deaths
. One can protect themselves and their family if a residential fire occurs just by simply maintaining their smoke detectors to work properly. According to the United States Fire Administration, the following is a list of facts and statistics about home and residential fires:
Fire kills more Americans per year than all natural disasters put together.
The primary cause of house fires in the U.S. is cooking. It is also the leading cause of residential fire injuries. Cooking fires often result from unattended cooking and human error, rather than mechanical malfunction of stoves or ovens.
Another leading cause of fire deaths is careless smoking. Smoke alarms and smolder-resistant furniture are significant fire deterrents.
The second leading cause of house fires, and those fires that result in deaths, is arson.
The third leading cause of residential and house fires is heating. Most heating systems in single family homes are often times not professionally maintained.
Men are twice as likely to be injured in a fire as women.
Senior citizens age 65 and over and Children under the age of 5 and senior citizens 65 and older have the greatest risk of fire death.
Children 10 and younger accounted for an estimated 22.2 percent of all fire fatalities.
Native Americans and African Americans have notably higher fire fatality rates per capita than the national average. Even though African Americans make up about 13 percent of the population, they account for 26% of fire deaths.
Over 90% of U.S. residences have at least one smoke alarm. However, these smoke alarms may not be properly maintained, and therefore may not work in an emergency.
It is estimated that over 39% of house fires and 52% of residential fatalities occur in homes without smoke alarms.
A functioning smoke alarm considerably increases a person's chance of surviving a fire.
If you or a family member has sustained injury from a house fire, Zinda & Davis PLLC may be able to help you recover damages. Our attorneys understand the laws concerning this type of personal injury lawsuit. Contact us today for a free evaluation.