| Abstract | In Ontario, from 1995 to 1998, 65% of fires and 95% of deaths occurred in residential buildings. Within these residential fires, approximately 66% of the fires and 57% of the deaths occurred in houses (detached, semi-detached and attached houses). From 1995 to 1997, the average number of fires that occurred in houses was 5,429 per year, the average number of deaths was 67 and the average dollar loss was $21,800 per fire. For this report, the Ontario fire statistics related to houses were analyzed to identify the fire scenarios that were associated with the greatest number of deaths per fire. The definition of a fire scenario includes the area of fire origin, the ignition source and the object first ignited. The identification of fatal fire scenarios will help identify the major fire concerns in houses and where future research efforts should be directed. In terms of future research effort, the frequent fatal fire scenarios that had the most deaths per fire can be used in fire simulations, either by fire modeling or experimentation, to determine why such fire scenarios have been so fatal. Such simulation studies will help identify fire protection measures that can be used in houses to improve fire safety. The Ontario fire statistics were used as they were readily available from the Office of the Fire Marshal. Also Ontario has one of the largest fire databases in Canada. It is assumed that the results of the present analysis can be applied to other houses in Canada. |
|---|
