According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there were 104,600 fires in nonresidential buildings in 2015, the last year data was available. This category includes commercial buildings such as offices and restaurants, as well as government buildings and healthcare centers. While there was a 1% increase in the number of fires in 2015, the number of deaths decreased by 30%, and the amount of financial losses decreased by 23% to about $2.7 billion. Even still, these fires caused plenty of setbacks for business owners, especially to the hotel and motel industry. Every year, hotel and motel fires result in $76 million in property loss.
Fortunately, it should still be noted that there has been a positive trend in preventing commercial fires. Part of the reason for this positive trend is better commercial fire alarm systems. Not only is it important to keep up with regularly scheduled fire alarm inspections, it is crucial for the property owners of any large building to understand the causes of these fires to ensure this doesn’t happen to them. In addition to investing in commercial fire protection services, keep reading to learn more about the most common causes of fires.
What are the top causes of fires in commercial buildings?
According to data from the United States Fire Administration, between 2006 and 2015, the top causes of fires in commercial buildings were:
-
- Cooking
Cooking is a huge danger, and it was a culprit behind 30,900 fires within the past decade. This is why it is so important to install fire alarms and a sprinkler system in your kitchen to prevent against the worst!
- Cooking
-
- Unintentional and Careless Behavior
This is a broad category. Unintentional and careless behavior, better known as accidents, caused more than 10,900 fires. While it’s hard to stop people from being careless, business owners and property managers can’t afford to be.
- Unintentional and Careless Behavior
-
- Arson
Intentionally set fires represented 9,800 of the total fires in these properties.
- Arson
-
- Electrical malfunction
Problems with the electricity or wiring in a building caused around 7,000 fires in the past decade.
- Electrical malfunction
- Heating problems
Problematic HVAC systems are the culprit behind about 6,000 commercial fires nationwide.
With these five causes in mind, it is clear that there are fire risks in all commercial buildings. This is why any property owner should invest in commercial fire protection services for the safety of their employees and guests.
If you have any questions about implementing these safety procedures in your Atlanta home or business, do not hesitate to contact us today for the best fire protection Atlanta has to offer.
