Nonresidential Building Fires (2017-2019)
Topical Fire Report Series | December 2021 | Volume 21, Issue 9
Nonresidential fires have a significant economic impact on a community as they may lead to lost jobs and closed businesses. In addition, because many nonresidential buildings are places where many people gather, they hold the greatest potential for a mass casualty incident to occur. This report describes the characteristics of all nonresidential building fires reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System for 2017-2019.
At a Glance
From 2017 to 2019, an estimated average of
108,500 nonresidential building fires
were reported to U.S. fire departments each year.
These fires caused an estimated annual average of:
90 deaths
1,125 injuries
$2.8 billion in property loss
National estimates for 2017 to 2019 show that nonresidential buildings accounted for 20% of the total dollar loss from all fires.
Outside and special properties
accounted for the most nonresidential building fires (25%).
Nonresidential building fires occurred most frequently from 2 to 7 p.m.
Cooking was the leading cause of all nonresidential building fires (30%).
Nonconfined nonresidential building fires most often started in vehicle storage areas (8%).
In 58% of nonconfined nonresidential building fires, the fire extended beyond the room of origin.
These topical reports are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information.