Residential Building Cause-Under-Investigation Fire Trends (2015-2024)

Overall trends for residential building cause-under-investigation fires and losses for the 10-year period of 2015 to 2024 show the following:

• 11% decrease in fires.
• 66% increase in deaths.

  • From 2019 to 2024, there were multiple reported multifatality fire incidents that may have contributed to the increase in the estimates of fire deaths.
• 18% increase in injuries.

  • In 2020, 36 reported multiple-injury fire incidents may have contributed to the increase in the estimate of fire injuries.
• A 21% increase in dollar loss.^*

  • The 2022 high-dollar-loss fires included a $55,000,000 fire in Utah.
  • The trends above show that while the frequency of cause-under-investigation fires has decreased, these fires have become more deadly, injurious and costly. Additional research is needed to determine the contributing factors to the increase in these fire death, injury and dollar-loss trends.