Through January 2, 2009

22 residential fire fatalities (non-arson) have been compiled by the Quick Response Program this year.

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Residential Fire Fatalities in the News

Daily Update (available Monday Friday)

The Nation's news media is reporting the following residential fire (non-arson) fatalities:

Friday, January 2

6 dead: Washington, DC (Washington, DC): Three adults, ages 72, 23, and 22; as well as three children ages 11, 10, and 4-years-old were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire was due to an electrical malfunction in the home. Investigators are still trying to determine if a short was caused by a number of overloaded surge protectors.
3 dead: Victoria Township, MO (St. Louis, MO): A 39-year-old man and his two children, ages eleven and seven were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
2 dead: Anderson, IN (Indianapolis, IN): Two sisters, ages one and two-years old were killed in a home fire. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials believe the fire began in the children’s bedroom.
1 dead: Augusta, ME (Portland, ME): A woman was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Camden, NJ (Philadelphia, PA): A man was killed in an abandoned home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Tonawanda, NY (Buffalo, NY): A 23-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia, PA): A 70-year-old woman was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Columbia, SC (Columbia, SC): A man was killed in a mobile home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Winston-Salem, NC (Greensboro – Winston-Salem, NC): A 77-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire was due to the woman smoking in bed.
1 dead: Corpus Christie, TX (Corpus Christie, TX): A 94-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Appalachia, VA (Tri-cities, TN): A three-year-old girl was killed in a home fire. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, investigators believe the fire may have been caused by a candle in the living room.
1 dead: Fond du Lac, WI (Green Bay, WI): A 56-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Garfield Park, IL (Chicago, IL): A 55-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Harris County, TX (Houston, TX): A 50-year-old woman was killed in a mobile home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

To find out more about any of the reported incidents...

Please contact news media in the vicinity where the fatal fire occurred. USFA does not have any additional information other than what is listed on this page.

Wednesday, December 31

1 dead: Fond Du Lac, WI (Green Bay, WI): A person was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Aldine, TX (Houston, TX): A 50-year-old woman was killed in a mobile home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Mascoutah, IL (St. Louis, MO): A 64-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Concord, CA (San Francisco, CA): An 85-year-old woman was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Leon County, TX (Waco, TX): A man was killed in a home fire. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials learned that a burning wood stove was in use inside the home.
1 dead: Lower Frederick, PA (Philadelphia, PA): A 74-year-old man was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Tuesday, December 30

2 dead: Grand Forks, ND (Fargo, ND): A 65-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were killed in a home fire. A radio was either left on top of, or fell onto, a hot plate and caught fire. An attempt was made by the residents to extinguish the fire but it reignited later and spread to the countertop. Toxic fumes from the plastic killed the victims.
1 dead: Clinton, SC (Greenville, SC): A 44-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Austin, TX: A 40-year-old man was killed in an apartment fire. The apartment did not have a smoke alarm. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Corpus Christi, TX: A nine-year-old boy was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Newcastle, OK (Oklahoma City, OK): A 47-year-old man was killed in a home fire. Officials believe unattended burning candles may have caused the fire. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
1 dead: Fairmont, WV (Charleston, WV): An elderly man was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Smiths Station, AL (Columbus, GA): A 51-year-old woman was killed in a home fire. Officials believe an electrical problem in the kitchen caused the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Monday, December 29

7 dead: Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia, PA): Two men, ages 54 and 23; one woman, age 23; and four children ages one, six, eight, and seventeen-years old were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire was due to a kerosene heater that ignited, while being filled in the basement of the home. Officials are trying to determine if the children purchased gasoline instead of kerosene for the heater. There were no smoke alarms in the home and one escape route from the basement of the home.
4 dead: Mount Sterling, KY (Lexington, KY): Four children ages three, five, seven, and seventeen-years-old were killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
2 dead: Bourne, MA (Boston, MA): A 77-year-old man and his 74-year-old wife were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
2 dead: Miami, FL (Miami, FL): A 61-year-old man and his 56 year-old wife were killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Washington Park, MO (St. Louis, MO): A 44-year-old man was killed in a home fire. Officials believe a space heater may have caused the fire. The cause of fire is still under investigation.
1 dead: Granite City, MO (St. Louis, MO): A 63-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Pennsauken, NJ (Philadelphia, PA/ Camden, NJ): A three-year-old boy was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire was due to the boy playing with a candle next to the Christmas tree, which then caught on fire.
1 dead: San Marcos, TX (Austin, TX): A 52-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation; however, officials believe the fire originated near the couch in the living room. There were working smoke alarms in the home.
1 dead: Hinsdale, NH (Boston, MA): A 53-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Carlisle, OH (Dayton, OH): A 41-year-old man was killed in an apartment fire. Officials determined the fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette.
1 dead: Swissvale, PA (Pittsburgh, PA): a 60-year-old man was killed in a home fire. Officials believe an electrical appliance in the second-floor bedroom may have caused the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
1 dead: Norwood, OH (Cincinnati, OH): A 57-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Montgomery County, OH (Dayton, OH): A 58-year-old man was killed in a home fire. Officials believe improperly discarded smoking materials may have caused the fire; however, the fire is still under investigation.
1 dead: Muscoda, WI (Madison, WI): A 71-year-old woman was killed in a manufactured home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: San Anselmo, CA (San Francisco, CA): A man was killed in an apartment fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Mills Township, MI (Flint, MI): A 67-year-old woman was killed in a duplex fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Richmond, VA (Richmond, VA): A woman was killed in a home fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
1 dead: Euclid, OH (Cleveland, OH): A 45-year-old man was killed in a home fire. The man was killed when he returned to his home to rescue his dog. The cause of the fire is under investigation; however, officials say there was evidence of a cigarette and a candle in the living room, where the fire began.
1 dead: James, SD (Sioux Falls, SD): A man was killed in a manufactured home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

About Quick Response

Information on residential fire fatalities is compiled for the USFA's Quick Response Program from a daily Google search of news media reports throughout the country. The primary purpose of the Quick Response program is to distribute fire safety and prevention materials through the news media and fire departments in the local area affected by the fire.

Residential Fire Fatalities Compiled through Quick Response

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Quick Response Residential Fire (non-arson) Fatalities, Jan-Nov08 (XLS, 355 Kb)
USFA estimates the Quick Response program captures approximately one-third to one-half of the total number of residential fire fatalities that occur each year. Data is obtained from news media reports published or aired within 24-48 hours after the fire; therefore, complete information is not available. Most fires require a post-incident investigation that may take days or months to complete. Only at the conclusion of the investigation will relevant facts be determined. For this reason, the statistics found in this file are only preliminary and should be viewed as such.
Quick Response Residential Fire (non-arson) Fatalities, Jan07-Dec07 (XLS, 343 Kb)

Report a Residential Fire Fatality to Quick Response

If you are aware of a residential fire fatality not captured through the Quick Response program, please report it here.