- Author
- Hall, J. R., Jr.
- Title
- Manufactured Home Fires.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Keywords
- manufactured housing | building fires | mobile homes | residential buildings | flame spread | standards | smoke detectors
- Identifiers
- manufactured home fire problem; effects of HUD standards; how national estimates are calculated
- Abstract
- In 2002, an estimated 17,200 structure fires in manufactured homes were reported in the U.S., with associated losses of 210 civilian deaths, 510 civilian injuries, and $134 million in direct property damage. Fires and associated losses have declined by one-third to one-half since 1980 if direct property damage is adjusted for inflation. The rate of decline has been comparable to that for other types of homes (i.e., dwellings, duplexes, apartments). Manufactured homes built after the introduction of the HUD standards have lower rates of civilian deaths per reported fire than those built before the HUD standards were introduced. The death rate was 54% lower in 1994-1998. From 1999 on, the reporting of unit age has become so rare that statistics are not reliable. Manufactured homes have a higher rate of civilian deaths per hundred reported fires than do other dwellings, but as of 1999-2002, they have nearly the same risk of fire death relative to the number of occupied units. Post-standard manufactured homes are more likely to have fires confined to room of origin, and this correlates with provisions of the standards that are designed to achieve such confinement. Sections 3280.203 - 3280.206 of the HUD standards provide requirements that are intended to slow or limit the spread of a fire.