The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced the release of a report today regarding residential building clothes dryer fires. Between the years 2002-2004, an annual average of 12,700 clothes dryer fires occurred in residential buildings. These fires were responsible for an estimated 15 civilian fire deaths, 300 civilian fire injuries, and $88 million in property loss each year.
In residential buildings, operational deficiency, including “failure to clean,” is the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires, followed by mechanical malfunction and electrical failure. Approximately 62% of clothes dryer fires are confined to the object of fire origin while about 27% are confined to the room of origin.
The report, Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings, was developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center as part of its Topical Fire Research Series and is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for 2002-2004. The report examines the characteristics of clothes dryer fires and provides recommendations for clothes dryer fire safety.
A copy of the topical report can be downloaded from:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/reports/
