Whether you are hoping to join the fire service or are a firefighter charged with educating the public on fire safety, here are nine things everyone should know about fire behavior.
1. The fire triangle
A simplified cousin to the fire tetrahedron, the triangle represents the three components that fires need to exist: heat, oxygen and fuel. If one of these components is missing, a fire can’t ignite.
Heat can be generated by a cigarette, an electrical current or a home heater. Fuel can be anything combustible, such as wood, paper, clothing, furniture, gases or chemicals.
Once a fire starts, if any of the three components is removed, the fire is extinguished. Water is used to cool a fire and take away the heat source. Oxygen can be removed by smothering a fire with dirt, sand, a chemical agent or a blanket. Fuel can be removed by moving combustible materials away from the fire or by simply waiting until the fire consumes the material and goes out of its own accord.
2. Fire kills
In 2023, there were 3,670 fire-related deaths in the U.S and 13,350 civilians were injured in fires. Most of these fires could have been prevented by practicing proper fire safety and having fire alarms. On average, about firefighters die every year in the line of duty. In 2023, according to the NFPA, “89 firefighters in the United States died from traumatic injuries, heart attacks, strokes, or aneurysms while on duty or within 24 hours of duty.”
3. Fire in the kitchen
Most house fires start in the kitchen. Cooking is the leading cause of home fire injuries. Cooking fires often start from overheated grease and unattended cooking. Electric stoves are involved in more fires than gas stoves.
Other leading causes of fires are heating equipment, electrical distribution, lighting equipment, arson (intentionally set fires) and smoking materials.
4. Fire is a leading cause of death
Another fact about fire is that smoking is the primary cause of fatal fires in the U.S. The second most common cause of fatal fires is heating equipment.
5. Arson caused home fires
Arson is the third most common cause of home fires. Arson in commercially operated buildings is the main cause of fire deaths and injuries in those types of properties.
6. Smoke inhalation
More people die from smoke inhalation than flames. Fire can suck all of the oxygen from a room and replace it with poisonous smoke and gases before flames even reach a room. Many times, people die from lack of oxygen before the fire reaches their room.
7. Run report
According to the NFPA, firefighters in the U.S. responded to 1.39 million fires in 2023. One quarter of those fires occurred in homes, apartments and multi-family housing and were responsible for 79% of civilian deaths and 74% of civilian injuries.
8. Candles
From 2014 to 2018 candles caused approximately 7,610 home fires and 81 home fire deaths per year. They are also responsible for a yearly average of 677 injuries and $278 million in property damage.
9. Smoke alarms
Approximately two-thirds of all fire deaths happen in homes where there is no working fire alarm. Your chance of dying in a home fire is cut in half if you have a working smoke alarm.
This article, originally published in 2011, has been updated.
