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Nationally, there are millions of fires, thousands of deaths and injuries, and billions of dollar loss - which makes the U.S. fire problem one of great national importance. Between 1999 and 2008, there was an average of 1,634,150 fires resulting in an estimated $11,634,800,000 in direct dollar loss each year. An average of 3,625 Americans lost their lives and another 18,765 were injured annually as the result of fire. These averages do not reflect the events of September 11, 2001.

The following table shows the numbers of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss in the United States from 1999 to 2008.

National
Year	Fires	Deaths	Injuries	Direct Dollar Loss In Millions
1999	1,823,000	3,570	21,875	$10,024
2000	1,708,000	4,045	22,350	$11,207
2001¹	1,734,500	3,745	20,300	$10,583
2001²	-	2,451	800	$33,440
2002	1,687,500	3,380	18,425	$10,337
2003	1,584,500	3,925	18,125	$12,307
2004	1,550,500	3,900	17,875	$9,794
2005	1,602,000	3,675	17,925	$10,672
2006	1,642,500	3,245	16,400	$11,307
2007	1,557,500	3,430	17,675	$14,639
2008	1,451,500	3,320	16,705	$15,478

¹ Excludes the events of September 11, 2001.

² These estimates reflect the number of deaths, injuries and dollar loss directly related to the events of September 11, 2001.

Note: The decrease in direct dollar loss in 2004 reflects the Southern California wildfires with an estimated loss of $2,040,000,000 that occurred in 2003. The dollar loss estimate for 2007 includes the California Fire Storm with an estimated property loss of $1,800,000,000. For 2008, the direct dollar loss includes the California Wildfires at an estimated loss of $1,400,000,000.

Where Fires Occurred - 2008

There were 1,451,500 fires in the United States. Of these:
- 48.3% were Outside and Other Fires
- 35.5% were Structure Fires
- 16.3% were Vehicle Fires
Residential structure fires represented 27.8 percent of all fires and 78.3 percent of all structure fires.
83.0 percent of all civilian fire fatalities occurred in the home, where home is defined as one- and two-family dwellings and apartments. Of those, approximately 85.8 percent occurred in single-family homes and duplexes.
Intentionally set structure fire property loss represented 7.0 percent of all structure fire property loss.
17,500 intentionally set vehicle fires occurred, causing an estimated $139 million in property damage.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. 2008.