Results of a National Fire Protection Association study released Aug. 1 show an estimated 3,675 people died in fires in the United States in 2005. That number represents a decrease of nearly 6% compared to 2004 fire fatalities, despite a more than 3% increase in the total number of fires occurring. The death toll is the third lowest recorded by NFPA since it began conducting this annual study in 1977.

Fire Loss in the United States During 2005 shows that, as in years past, home fires by far accounted for the most fire deaths; more than 3,000 of the fire deaths last year occurred in people’s homes. Vehicular fires accounted for approximately 500 deaths.

According to the study, fire departments responded to an estimated 1.6 million fires, including 381,000 reported home structure fires, 130,000 other structure fires, 259,000 highway vehicle fires, 31,000 other vehicle fires and 801,000 outdoor fires.

An estimated 17,925 people, excluding firefighters, were injured in the fires of 2005. This was the second lowest total recorded by NFPA, slightly higher than the estimated 17,785 injuries reported in 2004.

In 2005, fires resulted in an estimated $10.6 billion in property damage. The damage total was the fourth lowest since the late 1970s, after adjustment for inflation.

More details from the study are available in PDF format here.