What are the most common causes of fatal home fires?
• Cooking equipment. From 1992 to 1996, an annaul average of 97,3000 cooking fires caused 310 civilian deaths, 4,830 civilian injuries and almost $400 million in direct property damage. • Heating equipment causes over 70,000 fires a year • Arson or suspected arson causes over 50,000 fires a year • Other (or unspecified) household equipment causes over 40,000 fires a year • Electrical distribution equipment, including wiring, lamps, outlets, switches, fuses, and the circuit breakers cause over 37,000 fires a year. When do the majority of fatal home fires occur? They happen at night, when most people are asleep. Smoking is the #1 cause of fatal home fires. Smoking caused an average of 850 deaths per year from 1992 to 1996. An average of 610 deaths occur annually from arson or suspected arson; 510 deaths caused by heating equipment; 360 deaths from electrical distribution equipment; and an average of 340 deaths occur annually as a result of children playing with fire, and the deaths are u
