Fire deaths are falling anyway. Why now?

Fire deaths fell for decades. They are rising again. NFPA's 2024 fire loss report puts the U.S. home fire death rate at 8.9 per 1,000 reported home fires, up 2% from 2023 and 25% higher than the rate in 1980. Total civilian fire deaths were 3,920 in 2024, up 6.8% from 2023 and 37% above the 2012 low. One- and two-family homes account for 65.8% of those deaths. And, in Colorado, the residential structure fire injury rate runs 33% above the national average – 26.2 injuries per 1,000 fires against 19.7. Ultimately, the fires that kill people are those that grow before help can arrive. Sprinklers help extinguish them.