- Author
- Hall, J. R., Jr.
- Title
- Home Fires Involving Lighters.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Report
- NFPA No. USS67, May 2008, 13 p.
- Keywords
- home fires | fire statistics | fire data | lighters | ignition | heat sources | cigarettes | death | injuries
- Identifiers
- pipe; charcoal lighter
- Abstract
- This report provides statistics on home fires involving lighters as equipment involved in ignition or as heat source. In 2002-2005, lighters were cited as the heat source in an estimated 9,800 home structure fires per year reported to U.S. fire departments with associated annual losses of 210 civilian deaths, 930 civilian injuries, and $221 million in direct property damage. There are more than ten home fires with lighter coded as heat source for every fire with cigarette, pipe, or charcoal lighter as equipment involved in ignition. Most lighter fires and deaths involve children playing with fire. 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.