View source for Structure fire

{{Short description|Type of fire}}
{{redirect-distinguish|House fire|House of Fire|House on Fire (film)}}
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[[File:Fire inside an abandoned convent in Massueville, Quebec, Canada.jpg|thumb|right|A structure fire in [[Massueville, Quebec]], Canada]]
A '''structure fire''' is a fire involving the structural components of various types of residential, commercial or industrial [[building]]s, such as [[barn fire]]s. Residential buildings range from [[single-family detached home]]s and [[townhouse]]s to [[apartment]]s and [[tower block]]s, or various [[commercial building]]s ranging from [[office]]s to [[shopping mall]]s. This is in contrast to "room and contents" fires, [[chimney fire]]s, [[vehicle fire]]s, [[wildfire]]s or other outdoor fires.

Structure fires typically have a similar response from the [[fire department]] that include [[fire apparatus|engines]], ladder trucks, [[rescue squad]]s, chief officers, and an [[emergency medical services|EMS]] 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 apparatus|firefighting vehicle]] to a tower block, or a [[fire fighting foam|foam]]-carrying vehicle to structures known to contain certain [[Dangerous goods|hazardous chemicals]].

==Types (United States)==
In the United States, according to [[National Fire Protection Association|NFPA]], structures are divided into five construction types based on the severity of the fire hazard:

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%; margin:auto auto"
|  Type '''I''': [[passive fire protection|Fire Resistive]]
| Typically used in [[Tower block|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&nbsp;construction
| [[Brickwork|Brick and mortar]] walls, wood frame floors.  City [[rowhouse]]s are where this type of construction is most often found.
|-
| Type '''IV''': Heavy [[timber]]
| Often used in [[church (building)|church]]es or other community-based buildings.
|-
| Type '''V''': [[Timber framing|Wood frame]]
| Typically used in recent construction of single-family dwellings, townhouses, garden apartments with four floors or less.
|}

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Fire- Cotton Avenue, burned section, circa 1876 - DPLA - c5e660569712d1f1d37835782cdaf77f.jpeg|Remains of a structure fire on Cotton Avenue, Macon, Georgia, US. {{c.|1876}}
File:Burned-out house in Spokane 2018.jpg|A burned-out house
</gallery>

==Causes of house fires==
{{Globalize|section|date=January 2025}}

===Canada===

Information from Canada's National Fire Information Database shows these ignition sources for residential fires in 2014.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Residential fire sources of ignition, 6 jurisdictions, 2014<ref>{{cite report | url = http://nfidcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fire-statistics-in-Canada-2005-to-2014.pdf | title = Fire statistics in Canada, Selected Observations from the National Fire Information Database 2005 to 2014 | author = Statistics Canada | date = Sep 2017 | at = Table D-8, p. 48 | access-date = 1 Jan 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240317050338/http://nfidcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fire-statistics-in-Canada-2005-to-2014.pdf | archive-date = 17 Mar 2024 | url-status = live | language = en }} ''(Note: only ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, and the CAF reported this data in 2014).''</ref>
|-
! 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230608/dq230608a-eng.htm | title = The Daily: Fire incidents increase during the pandemic | author = Statistics Canada | date = 8 June 2023 | at = Chart 2 | access-date = 1 Jan 2025 | language = en}}</ref>

===United States===
Data from the [[United States Fire Administration|U.S. Fire Administration]]'s [[National Fire Incident Reporting System]] shows that cooking has consistently been the leading cause of residential building fires.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/residential-fires/causes.html | title = Residential Building Fire Causes (2013-2022) | publisher = U.S. Fire Administration | access-date = 31 Dec 2024 | language = en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Residential building fire causes, 2017-2019<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v21i2.pdf | title = Residential Building Fires (2017-2019) | author = National Fire Data Center | date = May 2021 | publisher = U.S. Fire Administration | access-date = 31 Dec 2024 | pages = 6 | language = en }} ''(Note: Fires with a cause determined only.)''</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/xls/overview_cause_matrix.xls | title = Structure Fire Cause Matrix | publisher = U.S. Fire Administration | access-date = 31 Dec 2024 | language = en}}</ref>
|-
! 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 || [[Arson|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%
|}

==Survival==
{{Main | Fire survival}}

==See also==
* [[Fire extinguisher]]
* [[Firefighting]]
* [[Fire prevention]]
* [[Fire safety]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Burning buildings}}
*[http://nfpa.org National Fire Protection Association (US)]
*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/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308201531/http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287/ |date=2012-03-08 }}

{{Fire fighting}}
{{Fire protection}}

[[Category:Firefighting]]
[[Category:Types of fire]]
[[Category:Building and structure fires| ]]