- Author
- Ahrens, M.
- Title
- Home Christmas Tree and Holiday Light Fires.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Report
- NFPA USS39, November 2007, 44 p.
- Keywords
- fire statistics | home fires | fire damage | death | injuries | costs | NFIRS | damage | building fires | lighting equipment | ignition
- Identifiers
- Christmas trees; holiday lights; decorative lights; home fires involving Christmas trees and holiday lights fact sheet; home structure fires originating with Christmas trees; home structure fires in which holiday lights or other decorative lighting with line voltage were involved in ignition
- Abstract
- NFPA estimates that Christmas trees, both natural and artificial, were the item first ignited in an estimated average of 210 reported home structure fires per year during the four-year period of 2002-2005. These fires caused an estimated average of 24 civilian deaths, 27 civilian injuries, and $13.3 million in direct property damage per year. These estimates are based on data 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 fire department experience survey. During the same period, holiday lights and other decorative lighting with line voltage were involved in an estimated average of 240 home structure fires per year. These fires caused an average of four civilian deaths, 14 civilian injuries, and $7.5 million in direct property damage per year.