Conventional wisdom states that faulty electrical wiring or arson often causes fires. USFA, a division of FEMA, announced two separate reports dealing with individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses where human factors contributed to the ignition of the fire.
The report states:
An estimated 1,700 residential building fires involving individuals with mental disabilities are reported to U.S. fire departments and cause an estimated 85 deaths, 250 injuries, and $61 million in total loss. Additionally, there are an estimated 700 residential building fires involving individuals with physical disabilities that occur each year, resulting in 160 deaths, 200 injuries, and $26 million in property loss.
This report is especially important because it highlights human error with regard to fire deaths and injuries. Freak accidents do not usually have a solution but when human cause is a factor, they do. We hope that USFA working with FEMA can come up with a solution to prevent these scary statistics.
The reports can be downloaded at: www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/
-Andy, Eland
