Fire Deaths in 1980
Although fewer lives were lost, residential fires continue to cause the most fire fatalities in the United States, according to the NFPA report on the nation’s fire loss in 1980.
The report estimates that 6,505 persons died in fires in 1980—5,446 of them in residential fires. However the report notes a trend toward lower fire death rates, as the 1980 figure is 5 percent lower than in 1979 and 11.2 percent lower since 1977.
The majority of residential fires occurred in one and two-family dwellings, and 165 deaths occurred in hotels or motels.
An estimated 2.9 million fires in the U.S. caused approximately $6.25 billion in property damage.
Fire fighters who died in the line of duty in 1980 numbered 134, an increase of 19 percent over 1979. The report also points out that heart attacks claimed more fire fighters than any other fatal injury.
