QuickStats

The Overall Fire Picture - 2008

There were 3,320 civilians that lost their lives as the result of fire.
There were 16,705 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire.
There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
There were an estimated 1.5 million fires in 2008.
Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $15.5 billion. This figure includes the 2008 California Wildfires with an estimated loss of $1.4 billion.
An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 315 civilian deaths.
Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $866 million in property damage.

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. 2008 and USFA's Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2008.