Quincy, MA – The number of fires to which public fire departments responded in 2010 was the lowest since 1977, according to a report (.pdf file) issued Sept. 15 by the National Fire Protection Association. However, the number of civilian fatalities resulting from these fires reached an estimated 3,120 – a 4 percent increase from the previous year.
Other findings from the report include:
- A fire department responds to a fire every 24 seconds.
- Approximately 384,000 fires – or 80 percent of all structure fires – occurred in residential properties in 2010.
- About 85 percent of all fire deaths occurred in the home.
- In 2010, 215,500 motor vehicle fires resulted in 310 civilian deaths and 1,590 civilian injuries.
