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Facts About Fires

Facts About Fires

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Facts about Fires

​Fires are one of the principal causes of property damage and destruction in the United States. J&M Keystone, Inc. in San Diego offers help for homes and businesses throughout California that have suffered loss from fire, smoke, soot and associated damage. J&M Keystone, Inc. can help home and business owners recover from a fire and salvage as much as possible after a disaster.

Fire Facts

Understanding the facts about fires is the first step in preventing death, injury or property loss from a home or business fire. According to the National Fire Prevention Association:


  • There were a total of 370,000 home fires in 2011. These fires caused 13,910 injuries, 2,520 deaths and $6.9 billion in damage, not counting injuries and deaths to firefighters.
  • Between 2007 and 2011, seven people per day died in the United States from home fires.The leading cause of home fires is cooking equipment followed by heating equipment.
  • Smoking is the leading cause of home fire deaths.
  • About 40 percent of home fires start in the kitchen. About one-third of all home fires are due to unattended cooking.
  • Two-thirds of cooking fires begin with ignition of food or other cooking ingredients such as oil. About 57 percent of these fires happen on the stovetop and another 16 percent in the oven.
  • Although clothing was ignited in only one percent of kitchen fires, these fires accounted for 15 percent of cooking fire deaths.
  • Heating fires are most often caused by creosote buildup in chimneys or other heating equipment. Space heaters accounted for only one-third of home heating fires but accounted for 81 percent of deaths from home heating fires. Most of these fires are caused by heating equipment too close to clothing, furniture, bedding, mattresses or other flammable objects.
  • About 48 percent of home electrical fires are caused by lighting equipment or electrical distribution. The total of electrical fires per year is about 48,000, causing 450 deaths and $1.5 billion in property damage.
  • There are about 32 home candle fires reported per day. About one-third of these occur in the bedroom.
  • Most fires with fatalities result in one or two deaths. However, in 2012, there were a total of eight fires with five or more fatalities. The total deaths from these fires was 44.

Facts about Smoke Alarms

  • Smoke alarms are essential in warning a family about a home fire. California law requires businesses to have fire alert systems in place as well as, in some locations, sprinkler systems. Businesses are also required to have adequate fire exits.
    About 60 percent of fatal fires take place in a home in which there are no smoke alarms or the alarms are not functioning.
  • The chances of dying in a home fire are cut in half when there is a working smoke alarm in the home.Battery-operated alarms work only 79 percent of the time while hardwired alarms operate about 93 percent of the time.
  • Most battery-powered smoke alarm failure is due to batteries being taken out of the smoke alarm or the batteries being dead.
  • There are two types of smoke alarms: ionization smoke alarms and photoelectric smoke alarms. An ionization alarm is more responsible to flames while a photoelectric alarm is more responsive to smoke. Both types of alarms, or a combination alarm, are recommended for maximum safety.

An Escape Plan is Critical

Having an escape plan from a home is essential to save lives and prevent injury. However, less than one-third of American families have practiced an escape plan so that everyone knows what to do.

Even more frightening, about one-third of those surveyed believed they would have at least six minutes before a fire became life-threatening to get themselves and their families out of the home. Often, homeowners and business owners have less time than that to get everyone to safety.

It is critical for families and businesses alike to have a working plan to evacuate the structure instantly in case of a fire and to practice this plan regularly.

Fire Damage is Costly

While lost lives and injury are obviously the worst damages caused by fires, property damage each year from home and business fires costs property owners and insurance companies billions of dollars. Sometimes, the emotional toll of the fire is worse than the physical damage, particularly if the objects damaged in the fire are personal items.

J&M Keystone, Inc. in San Diego is ready to help. Whether the damage involves personal items or inventory for a store or hospital, J&M Keystone, Inc. can help property owners recover from fires and restore property to its original condition. With the latest techniques and skills developed over years of mitigating fire damage, J&M Keystone, Inc. can clean up fire, smoke, soot and water damage and restore property to its pre-fire condition.

Contact J&M Keystone, Inc. today for more information.

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