High-Rise Building Fires in the United States, 2019–2023 ACCORDING TO A NEW NFPA REPORT, 85 PERCENT OF HIGH-RISE BUILDING FIRES OCCUR IN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES

High-rise properties are defined by those structures that were reported in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) as having seven or more stories above grade. In 2019–2023, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated average of 14,830 reported structure fires in high-rise buildings each year. These fires caused an average of 33 civilian deaths, 439 civilian injuries, and $203 million in direct property damage per year. Structure fires in high-rise buildings accounted for an estimated 3 percent of all structure fires during this time.

Most of the reported structure fires in high-rise buildings in 2019–2023 occurred in buildings reported as residential. There were an estimated 12,676 fires (85 percent of the total high-rise fires) in these properties that resulted in an estimated 31 civilian deaths, 408 civilian injuries, and $141 million in property damage each year. Second to the residential cohort in estimated number of fires were properties coded as an outside or special property with five percent of the share, or 760 estimated fires each year. Many of these fires can likely be attributed to vehicle fires in parking areas that extended to a structure on the property. There were an estimated 415 fires in a mercantile or business property, 236 in a property associated with assembly (eating or drinking places, library, place of worship, etc.), and 199 fires in a health care property each year.

Of the estimated 12,676 reported structure fires that occurred in residential properties each year from 2019–2023, over half of the properties involved in those incidents were coded as unclassified multi-family dwellings. There were no deaths and only one estimated injury in the incidents that involved an unclassified multi-family dwelling each year. An estimated 1,588 reported structure fires occurred in multi-family dwellings with seven or more units, resulting in 14 civilian deaths (45 percent), 152 civilian injuries (37 percent), and $59 million in property damage (42 percent) each year. An estimated 428 fires (3 percent) occurred in dormitory-type properties and another 389 (3 percent) in hotels or motels each year.

For the purposes of this summary, fires that were coded in NFIRS specifically as “Multifamily Dwelling with Seven or More Living Units” will be the focus of the next section. Forty-one percent of the estimated deaths in residential buildings occurred in high-rises that were coded specifically as “Two Family Dwelling” (10 fires, 33 percent) or “Single Family Dwelling” (3 fires, 9 percent). This report assumes that the data here is the result of miscoded fire incidents; estimates of deaths, injuries, and direct property damage in high-rise residential buildings would likely be higher with the availability of more accurate reporting.

Reported structure fires in high-rise multi-family dwellings were largely unintentional. Unintentional fires accounted for an estimated 66 percent of all structure fires in these properties each year. An estimated 10 percent of these fires resulted from an undetermined ignition cause, and 11 percent of them are still under investigation. These percentages are similar to the percentages in non-high-rise structure fires.

The area of origin for most structure fires in a high-rise multi-family dwelling with seven or more living units was in a kitchen. After a kitchen area, a bedroom was the second leading area of origin. There were 937 reported structure fires in a high-rise property that began in a kitchen each year, accounting for 59 percent of all high-rise fires in this type of dwelling. These fires resulted in an estimated two civilian deaths (16 percent) and 58 civilian injuries (38 percent) each year. Although fewer fires began in a bedroom (104 fires, 7 percent) each year, bedroom fires resulted in an estimated six civilian deaths (44 percent) each year. There were an estimated 31 civilian injuries (21 percent) each year in bedroom fires. Fires originating in a living room accounted for an estimated four civilian deaths each year from 2019–2023.

There was a slightly higher percentage of fires in kitchens and storage areas in high-rise structure fires, and a slightly lower percentage of fires that originated on an exterior balcony.

The percentage of civilian deaths resulting from structure fires originating in a bedroom of a high-rise was higher than the percentage of civilian deaths resulting from a structure fire in a non-high-rise structure. This was also true with a smaller discrepancy for fires originating on an exterior balcony. The percentage of civilian deaths from fires originating in a kitchen, storage area, or living room was higher in non-high-rise structures. Most of the fires originating in a kitchen area of a high-rise structure began with the ignition of cooking materials, including food. During 2019–2023, there were an estimated 601 of these fires each year. The heat source in 427 of these fires (47 percent) was a spark, ember, arcing, or radiated heat from operating equipment in the kitchen.

In bedroom fires, most of the items first ignited were soft goods and wearing apparel. The heat source in most of these fires was an open flame (candle, match, lighter, etc.) or smoking materials such as cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. The same was true for fires that began with the ignition of furniture or utensils. A spark, ember, arcing, or radiated heat from operating equipment was the heat source for most of the fires where the item first ignited was coded as general materials.

Furniture or utensils were the most common items first ignited in high-rise fires originating in a common, living, or family room. Open flame or smoking materials were the leading heat source for these fires, followed by heat from operating equipment.

Most of the structure fires that occurred in dormitory, fraternity, sorority, or barrack properties were reported to be unintentional. Fires where the cause of ignition was reported to be under investigation accounted for 45 percent of the total property damage. Civilian deaths and injuries were not included in this figure due to low estimated occurrences during 2019–2023.

The area of origin for most structure fires in a high-rise multi-family dwelling with seven or more living units was in a kitchen. Each year, an average of 937 fires occurred in kitchens in this type of dwelling.

The kitchen was the most common area of origin for reported structure fires that occurred in high-rise dormitory-type buildings. Bedrooms, laundry rooms, and common rooms were the other leading areas of origin for these fires. Proportionately, fires that began in a kitchen were more common in non-high-rise dorm-type buildings than those in high-rise buildings. The opposite was true for bedrooms, laundry rooms, and common rooms.

Organic materials (cooking materials, etc.) were the item first ignited in an estimated 51 percent of these fires. Operating equipment (radiated or conducted heat, arcing, spark or ember) was the heat source for most of these fires. Second to operating equipment was unclassified open flame or smoking materials.

Most of the reported structure fires occurring in high-rise hotels or motels during 2019–2023 were reported as unintentional. There were an estimated 68 structure fires each year where the cause of ignition was a failure of equipment or heat source. Another estimated 63 fires each year were still under investigation or undetermined after investigation. An estimated 20 fires each year were reported to be intentional.

Kitchen areas were the leading area of origin in reported structure fires in highrise hotel or motel properties, with an estimated 168 occurring each year from 2019–2023. Fires that began in a service or equipment area (machinery room, elevatör room, heating equipment room, etc.) accounted for 29 percent of the damage. An estimated 18 fires began in a structural area such as an exterior roof surface, exterior balcony, or exterior wall.

The leading areas of origin were similar regardless of whether the property was a high-rise or non-high-rise. Proportionately, a slightly higher percentage of fires occurred in high-rise kitchens, equipment areas, and storage areas compared to those in non-high-rise properties.

The largest share of reported structure fires in high-rise hotel or motel properties started when organic (cooking) materials were the item first ignited. There were an estimated 129 of these fires each year from 2019–2023. The most property damage occurred when the item first ignited was an electrical wire or cable insulation, which occurred in an estimated 43 fires each year, causing an estimated $9.9 million in damage.

The heat source for most of the fires that occurred in high-rise hotels or motels was heat from operating equipment (radiated or conducted, arcing, spark or ember). This was the heat source in an estimated 258 fires each year from 2019–2023. These fires also caused the most property damage—an estimated $21.7 million each year.

Most of the fires that occurred in highrise mercantile or business properties were reported as unintentional. An estimated 130 fires each year were caused by a failure of equipment or heat source, resulting in an estimated $1.8 million in property damage.

An estimated 111 fires began in a kitchen each year, while an estimated 44 fires began in an equipment area and another 44 fires in an assembly area.

Mercantile or business fires were more common in high-rise buildings in kitchens, equipment areas, and assembly areas than in non-high-rise buildings. Storage areas, offices, service areas, and structural areas were more likely to be the areas of origin more common to non-high-rise buildings.

An estimated 102 reported structure fires each year began with the ignition of organic materials, including cooking materials, in mercantile or business high-rise properties. In an estimated 44 (11 percent) fires each year, rubbish, trash, or waste was the item reported to be first ignited, and these fires accounted for 68 percent of the property damage.

Heat from operating equipment (radiated or conducted heat, arcing, spark or ember) provided the source of ignition in an estimated 234 reported structure fires in mercantile or business high-rise properties each year in 2019–2023. These fires also accounted for the largest share of losses during that time.

Most of the reported structure fires in high-rise health care properties in 2019– 2023 were found to be unintentional. An estimated 45 fires annually were reported to be caused by the failure of equipment or a heat source during this period.

There were an estimated 91 (46 percent) reported structure fires in a high-rise health care facility each year from 2019– 2023 that originated in a kitchen. Other leading areas of origin included laundry rooms, equipment areas, and technical processing areas (such as first aid room, operating room, laboratory, etc.).

The rate of fires in high-rise buildings versus non-high-rise buildings was similar in most of the areas examined, although fires originating in kitchen areas were slightly more common in non-high-rise buildings.

An estimated 80 (40 percent) of the reported structure fires each year in high-rise health care properties began with the ignition of cooking materials. Other leading items first ignited included electrical wire or cable insulation, furniture, liquids, piping or filters, and soft goods or wearing apparel.

Heat from operating equipment (conducted or radiated heat, arcing, spark or ember) was the heat source for most of these fires. There were an estimated 119 reported structure fires each year where this was the heat source. These fires also accounted for the largest share of property loss.