# Structure fire

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Structure_fire
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Structure_fire.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_fire
> Source revision: 1351777953
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Type of fire

"House fire" redirects here; not to be confused with [House of Fire](/source/House_of_Fire) or [House on Fire (film)](/source/House_on_Fire_(film)).

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A structure fire in [Massueville, Quebec](/source/Massueville%2C_Quebec), Canada

A **structure fire** is a fire involving the structural components of various types of residential, commercial or industrial [buildings](/source/Building), such as [barn fires](/source/Barn_fire). Residential buildings range from [single-family detached homes](/source/Single-family_detached_home) and [townhouses](/source/Townhouse) to [apartments](/source/Apartment) and [tower blocks](/source/Tower_block), or various [commercial buildings](/source/Commercial_building) ranging from [offices](/source/Office) to [shopping malls](/source/Shopping_mall). This is in contrast to "room and contents" fires, [chimney fires](/source/Chimney_fire), [vehicle fires](/source/Vehicle_fire), [wildfires](/source/Wildfire) or other outdoor fires.

Structure fires typically have a similar response from the [fire department](/source/Fire_department) that include [engines](/source/Fire_apparatus), ladder trucks, [rescue squads](/source/Rescue_squad), chief officers, and an [EMS](/source/Emergency_medical_services) unit, each of which will have specific initial assignments. The actual response and assignments will vary between fire departments.

It is not unusual for some fire departments to have a predetermined mobilization plan for when a fire incident is reported in certain structures in their area. This plan may include mobilizing the nearest aerial [firefighting vehicle](/source/Firefighting_apparatus) to a tower block, or a [foam](/source/Fire_fighting_foam)-carrying vehicle to structures known to contain certain [hazardous chemicals](/source/Dangerous_goods).

## Building Construction Types (United States)

In the United States, according to [NFPA](/source/National_Fire_Protection_Association), structures are divided into five construction types based on the severity of the fire hazard:

Type I: Fire Resistive Typically used in high-rises. The material comprising the structure is either inherently able to withstand significant exposure to fire (concrete), or in which a fire resistive covering is applied to steel structural members. Type II: Non-combustible Typically used in strip shopping center malls. Roofs are constructed out of steel rafters. Type III: Ordinary construction Brick and mortar walls, wood frame floors. City rowhouses are where this type of construction is most often found. Type IV: Heavy timber Often used in churches or other community-based buildings. Type V: Wood frame Typically used in recent construction of single-family dwellings, townhouses, garden apartments with four floors or less.

		- Remains of a structure fire on Cotton Avenue, Macon, Georgia, US. c. 1876

		- A burned-out house

## Causes of house fires

The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new section, as appropriate. (January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

### Canada

Information from Canada's National Fire Information Database shows these ignition sources for residential fires in 2014.

Residential fire sources of ignition, 6 jurisdictions, 2014[1] Ignition source Examples Percentage Cooking equipment stoves, hot plates, BBQs, deep fryers 33% Smoker's material and open flame cigarettes, lighters, matches, candles, lanterns, blow torches 24% Heating equipment central heating, space heaters, wood stoves, fireplaces 14% Electrical distribution equipment permanent electric wiring, extension cords, batteries 11% Appliances and household equipment televisions, household appliances 7% Exposure fire spread from other buildings or outdoors 7% Other electrical equipment power tools, lamps, computers 4% No igniting object lightning 1%

A 2023 update from Statistics Canada confirmed that cooking equipment and smoker's material continued to be the top causes of residential fires, at 32% and 25% of total incidents respectively.[2]

### United States

Data from the [U.S. Fire Administration](/source/United_States_Fire_Administration)'s [National Fire Incident Reporting System](/source/National_Fire_Incident_Reporting_System) shows that cooking has consistently been the leading cause of residential building fires.[3]

Residential building fire causes, 2017-2019[4][5] Cause Examples Percentage Cooking stoves, ovens, cooking fires 50.9% Heating furnaces, boilers, water heaters, portable heaters, chimneys 9.3% Other Unintentional, Careless product misuse, discarded materials, heat source too close to combustibles 7.4% Electrical Malfunction electrical wiring, lighting fixtures 6.7% Intentional deliberately set fires 4.3% Open Flame candles, matches, lighters, embers 4.3% Other Heat fireworks, heat/sparks from friction 3.4% Appliances most electronic and electrical appliances 3.0% Equipment Misoperation, Failure equipment malfunction or operation deficiency 2.3% Smoking cigarettes and other smoking materials 2.0% Exposure heat spread from another hostile fire 1.8% Natural spontaneous ignition, chemicals, storms 1.7% Other Equipment computer, telephone, special or unspecified equipment 1.3% Cause under investigation cause still undetermined 1.3% Playing with Heat Source children or others playing with fire 0.4%

## See also

- [Fire extinguisher](/source/Fire_extinguisher)

- [Firefighting](/source/Firefighting)

- [Fire prevention](/source/Fire_prevention)

- [Fire safety](/source/Fire_safety)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Statistics Canada (Sep 2017). [Fire statistics in Canada, Selected Observations from the National Fire Information Database 2005 to 2014](http://nfidcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fire-statistics-in-Canada-2005-to-2014.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Table D-8, p. 48. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240317050338/http://nfidcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fire-statistics-in-Canada-2005-to-2014.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 17 Mar 2024. Retrieved 1 Jan 2025. *(Note: only ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, and the CAF reported this data in 2014).*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Statistics Canada (8 June 2023). ["The Daily: Fire incidents increase during the pandemic"](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230608/dq230608a-eng.htm). Chart 2. Retrieved 1 Jan 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Residential Building Fire Causes (2013-2022)"](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/residential-fires/causes.html). U.S. Fire Administration. Retrieved 31 Dec 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** National Fire Data Center (May 2021). ["Residential Building Fires (2017-2019)"](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v21i2.pdf) (PDF). U.S. Fire Administration. p. 6. Retrieved 31 Dec 2024. *(Note: Fires with a cause determined only.)*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Structure Fire Cause Matrix"](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/xls/overview_cause_matrix.xls). U.S. Fire Administration. Retrieved 31 Dec 2024.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Burning buildings](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Burning_buildings).

- [National Fire Protection Association (US)](http://nfpa.org)

- Haung, Kai. 2009. Population and Building Factors That Impact Residential Fire Rates in Large U.S. Cities. Applied Research Project. Texas State University. [http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287/](http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120308201531/http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287/) 2012-03-08 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

v t e Firefighting General By place Antarctica Belgium Finland France Germany Japan South Korea United Kingdom United States History Personnel and organization Aircraft rescue and firefighting Battalion chief Chief fire officer Fire captain Fire chief Station officer Retained firefighter Fire marshal Fire police Firefighter assist and search team Handcrew Special operations firefighter Volunteer fire department Women in firefighting Fire department ranks by country Facilities Drill tower Fire department list Fire lookout tower Fire station Hose tower Apparatus Airport crash tender Fire command vehicle Fire engine Fire motorcycle Fireboat Firefighting apparatus Hazardous materials apparatus Light and air unit Quint Rescue vehicle Water tender Equipment Bunker gear Escape chair Fire blanket Fire brigade keys Fire bucket Fire extinguisher Fire hose Fire hydrant Fire proximity suit Fire retardant Fire shelter Fireman's pole Fireman's switch Flame retardant Fog nozzle Halligan bar Hazmat suit Heat detector Hose bridge Hydraulic rescue tool ("Jaws of life") Kelly tool Nomex New York roof hook PASS device The pig Portable water tank Rotary saw Secure information box Self-contained breathing apparatus Siren Smoke detector Suction hose Thermal imaging camera Terminology Backdraft Barn fire Chimney fire Dead man zone Deluge gun Door breaching Draft False alarm Fire classification Fire control Fire safety Fire triangle Fireman's carry Firewall Flash fire Flashover Gaseous fire suppression Multiple-alarm fire Rollover Stop, drop and roll Structure fire Two-in, two-out Ventilation Miscellaneous Candidate Physical Ability Test Fire camp Fire engine red Fire photography Fire protection engineering International Firefighters' Day International organizations International Fire Marshals Association International Association of Fire Chiefs International Association of Fire Fighters List of films Muster Saint Florian World Firefighters Games World Police and Fire Games Wildfires General Wildfire emergency management Wildfire suppression Equipment and tactics Aerial firefighting Controlled burn Driptorch Fire flapper Fire hose Fire lookout tower Fire rake Fire retardant Fire retardant gel Fire trail Firebreak Firefighting apparatus Firefighting foam Helicopter bucket Hose pack McLeod Modular Airborne FireFighting System Pulaski Wildfire suppression equipment and personnel Wildland fire engine Wildland water tender Personnel Fire lookout Handcrew Helitack Hotshot crew Smokejumper Wildland fire module By location Ancient Rome Australia United States History California Washington Lists Glossary of wildfire terms List of wildfires See also Fire Fire protection Category Commons Glossary Index Outline

v t e Fire protection Fundamental concepts Backdraft Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) Boilover Combustibility and flammability Conflagration Dangerous goods (HAZMAT) Deflagration Detonation Dust explosion Enthalpy of vaporization Explosive Fire classification Fire control Fire loading Fire point Fire triangle Flammability diagram Flammability limit Flammable liquid Flashover Flash point Friction loss Gas leak Heat transfer Jet fire K-factor (fire protection) Pool fire Pyrolysis Spontaneous combustion Structure fire Thermal radiation Water pressure Technology Active fire protection Automatic fire suppression Condensed aerosol fire suppression Detonation flame arrester External water spray system Fire bucket Fire prevention Fire protection Fire retardant Fire-retardant fabric Fire retardant gel Fire-safe polymers Fire safety Fire sprinkler system Fire suppression system Firefighting foam Flame arrester Flame retardant Flashback arrestor Fusible link Gaseous fire suppression Hypoxic air technology for fire prevention Inerting system Intumescent Passive fire protection Personal protective equipment (PPE) Relief valve Spark arrestor Tank blanketing Vehicle fire suppression system Building design Annulus (firestop) Area of refuge Booster pump Compartmentation Crash bar Electromagnetic door holder Electromagnetic lock Emergency exit Emergency light Exit sign Fire curtain Fire cut Fire damper Fire door Fire escape Fire extinguisher Fire hose Fire hydrant Fire pump Fire sprinkler Firestop Firestop pillow Firewall (construction) Grease duct Heat and smoke vent Packing (firestopping) Penetrant (mechanical, electrical, or structural) Penetration (firestop) Pressurisation ductwork Safety glass Smoke control Smoke damper Smoke exhaust ductwork Smokeproof enclosure Standpipe (firefighting) Fire alarm systems Aspirating smoke detector Carbon monoxide detector Circuit integrity Explosive gas leak detector Fire alarm call box Fire alarm control panel Fire alarm notification appliance Fire drill Flame detector Heat detector Manual fire alarm activation Smoke detector Professions, trades, and services Duct cleaning Fire insurance Fire protection engineering Fireproofing Fire-resistance rating Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) Fire test Kitchen exhaust cleaning Listing and approval use and compliance Sprinkler fitting Industry organizations Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standards CE marking EN 3 EN 54 EN 16034 Flame spread GHS hazard statements GHS precautionary statements Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) List of R-phrases List of S-phrases Safety data sheet UL 94 Awards Arthur B. Guise Medal Harry C. Bigglestone Award See also Template:Fire Template:Firefighting Template:HVAC Category Commons

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Structure fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_fire) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_fire?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.