Nonresidential Building Fire Dollar-Loss Causes (2012‑2021)

Overall trends

Overall trends in the leading causes of fire dollar loss for the 10-year period of 2012 to 2021 show the following:

• Other unintentional, careless fires as the leading cause of nonresidential building fire dollar loss in 9 years out of the 10-year period.
• A 132% increase in other equipment fire dollar loss. A $170,000,000 Earlimart, California, fire reported in a manufacturing property contributed to the 2021 dollar-loss peak.
• A 5% increase in nonresidential other unintentionally or carelessly set fire dollar loss.
• A 261% increase in exposure fire dollar loss.
  A $67,800,000 reported Hoboken, New Jersey, manufacturing fire contributed to the 2021 dollar-loss peak.
• A 26% increase in nonresidential electrical malfunction fire dollar loss.^*
• A $26,465,000 San Francisco, California, building supply warehouse fire with several exposures and a $17,000,000 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire reported in a mercantile or business property contributed to the increase in intentional fire dollar loss in 2020.

^*The overall constant dollar-loss trends take inflation into account by adjusting each year's dollar loss to its equivalent 2021 value.