Nonresidential Building Fire Dollar-Loss Causes (2013-2022)

Overall trends

Overall trends in the leading causes of fire dollar loss^* for the 10-year period of 2013 to 2022 show the following:

• Other unintentional, careless fires as the leading cause of nonresidential building fire dollar loss in 9 years out of the 10-year period.
• An 18% increase in nonresidential other unintentionally or carelessly set fire dollar loss.
  A $38,000,000 Bartlett, Illinois, warehouse fire contributed to the 2022 dollar-loss peak.
• A 45% increase in nonresidential equipment malfunction fire dollar loss.
  A $25,000,000 Carthage, Arkansas, manufacturing fire contributed to the 2022 dollar-loss peak.
• An 8% increase in nonresidential electrical malfunction fire dollar loss.
• A 147% increase in nonresidential other equipment fire dollar loss.
  A $170,000,000 Earlimart, California, fire reported in a manufacturing property contributed to the 2021 dollar-loss peak.
  A $67,800,000 reported Hoboken, New Jersey, manufacturing fire contributed to the 2021 nonresidential exposure fire dollar-loss peak.
  A $26,465,000 San Francisco, California, building supply warehouse fire with several exposures and a $17,000,000 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fire reported in a mercantile or business property contributed to the increase in nonresidential intentional fire dollar loss in 2020.