Taking the 'Burn' Out of Burnsville: 10 Fast Facts About Fire

This week, the Burnsville Fire Department is commemorating Fire Prevention Week — a national campaign that has been in existence since the 1920s. It began as a memorial to two of the worst fires in American history, both of which occurred on the same day — Oct. 8, 1871. The first is the Chicago Fire, which killed 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and leveled the entire central business district.

The second is one of the largest in U.S. history — the Peshtigo Fire — which roared through the woods and fields of Northeast Wisconsin. By the time the raging inferno ran its course 1,152 people were dead, 1.2 million acres incinerated and 16 towns were completely destroyed.

In honor of this event, the BFD is hosting an open house at the newly expanded Fire Station No. 1 tonight, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30. Admission is free. Here are some quick facts before you go:

1. Over 2010, the Burnsville Fire Department made 142 fire runs. The city sustained $13,639,080 in losses due to fire.

2. In Burnsville, and Minnesota at large, the most dangerous place is your home. According to the State Fire Marshall's annual report for 2010, there were 4,825 residential fires, about 33 percent of all the fires reported in the state. However, residential blazes accounted for 87 percent of all fire fatalities over 2010.

"Most fires start with smoking, cooking and candles — all things you would at your home, more than at work or anywhere else," Fire Chief BJ Jungmann explained. "Public places or offices usually have sprinklers and other things single family houses generally don’t." 

3. Over the last four decades, the number of fire fatalities in Minnesota has declined dramatically. In the 1970s, over 100 people died by fire each year on average. By contrast, in 2010 there were 39 deaths due to fire.

There were no fire-related deaths in Burnsville over 2010.

Officials attribute the decline to the increasing prevalence of smoke alarms and sprinkler systems and legislative action. Since the 1970s, the state of Minnesota has put in place tighter inspection and code enforcement programs to ensure that hotels, motels, schools, and health care and day care facilities are all free from fire hazards.

4. Of the fatal fires in 2010, investigators found that 36 percent of the victims were in homes in which smoke alarms were absent or non-operating. Of those casualties who were in homes with working smoke detectors, 28 percent could not get out due to mobility issues and 57 percent failed to get our because of drug or alcohol impairment.

5. The elderly still accounted for 36% of fire fatalities in 2010, higher than any other age group.

"We're concerned about the elderly because they're less mobile, their senses have decreased and their reflexes are slower," Jungmann said. "But anyone can be vulnerable — particularly at night when you're sleeping." 

6. Fire fatalities are more likely during the wee hours. In 2010, 49 percent of fire deaths in 2010 occurred between the hours of 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Fire fatalities are also more common during winter: In 2010, the months spanning January through April accounted for 54 percent of the fire deaths.

7. Men are more likely to be injured in a fire. The Fire Marshall's Office reported that men accounted for 60 percent of fire-related injuries in 2010. Injury is more probable if people do not leave the building immediately. The quickest way to get hurt is to try to fight the blaze rather than flee. Over 2010, 29 percent of all injuries were sustained by people trying to control a fire.

8. Locally, Burnsville's apartment complexes are of particular concern to the BFD: Since 2004 the department has responded to over 200 fires at multi-unit housing complexes. Though this accounted for only 21 percent of the total fires reported in Burnsville, 100 percent of the city's fire fatalities occurred in apartment complexes.

9. Across the state, human error is the most common culprit. "Cooking" was the most common cause of all the fires reported, accounting for 49 percent, followed by open flame (matches, candles, cigarette lighters, charcoal lighters, and flares) and heating (fireplaces, chimneys, central heating systems). Arson was a close fourth. 

10. Similarly, human error is the immediate cause of 80 percent of the apartment fires in Burnsville. However, the buildings themselves are more prone to fire due to their age and construction. Many apartment complexes have exteriors made of flammable materials — wood or polyplastic siding — and many predate current state fire codes. According to the BFD, 70 percent are more than 20 years old and 65 percent of Burnsville’s apartment buildings lack sprinkler systems. 

This year, the city got a $47,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve fire safety in Burnsville's multi-unit housing complexes. The money will be used to stock apartment buildings with automatic fire suppressors which will be affixed to the hood of a stove top. A large blaze will trigger the release of a fire suppressing powder.