SPECIAL REPORT

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
SOLID FUEL HEATING EQUIPMENT FIRE FACTS
1992

  • In 1992 (CPSC's latest reporting period), 39,200 residential fires in the United States were related to solid fuel appliances and equipment.
  • Solid fuel-related fires in that year accounted for 46.4 percent of all fires attributable to heating equipment (84,500) and 8.3 percent of all residential fires (472,000).
  • Fixed heaters -- primarily wood stoves – were reported as the cause of 45.2 percent (17,700) of all solid fuel equipment fires.
  • The cost of property losses due to fixed heater fires was $55.6 million.
  • Chimneys were cited as the cause of 25.3 percent (9,900) of all solid fuel-related fires and estimated property losses were $34.4 million.
  • Chimney connectors were reported as the cause of 6.1 percent (2,400) of all solid fuel-related fires and $15.1 million in property loss.
  • Combined property losses caused by fires originating in chimneys and chimney connectors were estimated to be $49.4 million.
  • Fireplaces accounted for 19.6 percent (7,700) of all solid fuel-related fires and total property loss of $54.5 million.
  • In all, 90 people died and 290 people were injured as a result of solid fuel-related fires and total property loss was set at $206 million.
  • In addition, 4,300 residential fires were attributed to chimneys and chimney connectors serving heating systems burning liquid and other fuels. These fires resulted in $19.9 million in property damage.
  • In the 1992 report, when all fuels were considered, CPSC estimates that fireplaces were the source of 10,600 fires and $73.8 million in property loss and chimneys and connectors were the source of 16,800 fires and property losses of $70.4 million.

    • These statistics do not reflect carbon-monoxide-induced deaths or illness cause by blocked, damaged or deteriorated chimney systems and/or furnace-to-chimney connector pipes serving gas or oil-fired residential heating systems.

    The data contained in this report has been excerpted from a memorandum release by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. on November 3, 1994. The subject of the memorandum is "1992 Residential Fire Loss Estimates."