U.S. Structure Fires in Eating and Drinking Establishments

During the five-year period of 20042008, NFPA estimates that U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 8,1 60 structure fires in eating and drinking establishments per year. These fires caused an annual average of 3 civilian deaths, 100 civilian fire injuries, and $229 million in direct property damage. Reported fires in this occupancy group fell 64 percent from 23,300 in ] 980 to 8,370 in 2008.

Cooking equipment was involved in more than half of the fires in eating and drinking establishments. Deep fryers, in which 24 percent of all fires occurred, and ranges or cook tops, which were responsible for 10 percent, were the most common equipment involved. Deep fryers also accounted for the largest share of civilian injuries of any type of equipment involved in ignition.Fires in eating and drinking establishments do not vary dramatically by hour of the day, day of the week, or month of the year. There appear to be peaks for property damage in March, between 3:00 a.m. and 3:59 a.m., and Tuesday, but these are all due to the impact of one fire with unusually high property damage. Even without the impact of this one fire, however, property damage per fire is still higher between 1 1 p.m. and 6 a.m.In eating and drinking establishments, deaths per 1,000 fires were 100 percent lower and property damage per fire was 73 percent lower when wet pipe sprinklers were present, compared with no automatic extinguishing equipment present.The 5 percent of fires that were intentionally set in these properties caused 10 percent of the direct property damage.

In eating and drinking establishments, deaths per 1,000 fires were 100 percent lower and property damage per fire was 73 percent lower when wet pipe sprinklers were present, compared with no automatic extinguishing equipment present.