Building industry news-site Builderonline.com reports that the U.S. Fire Administration said, in 2014, that 2,419 Americans could have used more time to get out of their homes during an incidence of fire. That number represents the number of people who died in residential fires. The article says that overall fire fatalities are down (3,900 people died in homes in 2004) having fallen 26% from 2002 to 2011. However, they report that as fatalities fell, evidence exists that new a threat lurks in the form of new, modern homes & furnishings that present dangers not found in homes built a generation ago. Indeed. But are stricter building codes the answer? The article discusses that question vis-a-vis more sprinklers.
According to the article, the top 9 sources of fire are:
- Cooking equipment
- Heating equipment
- Intentional
- Electrical
- Smoking
- Clothes dryer / Washer
- Exposure
- Candles
- Playing with heat source
Click here to read the full article, Playing with Fire.
