A review of accidental residential fire death investigations in Alberta 2012–2021

Abstract

Residential fires continue to be a significant safety concern, especially as the majority are preventable. This study investigated 139 accidental residential fire deaths in Alberta between 2012 and 2021 to identify key characteristics and risk factors. The findings generally reinforce previous research on fatal accidental residential fires indicating that more deaths occurred amongst males (60.4%) than females (39.6%); seniors (65 and older) were found to be a high risk group; the majority of the fatal fires occurred in small population centres and rural areas (51.8%); alcohol consumption was prevalent among a large proportion of the decedents (46.7%); smoke inhalation was the leading cause of death (57.6%); a sizable number of fires occurred in the winter season (35.3%); a notable number of fires occurred during the 12am-6am time period (44.6%); and smoking material was the leading source of ignition in these residential fires (23%). The assessment of area-based deprivation in relation to fatal residential fires revealed that fatal fires were more frequent in communities with higher situational vulnerability and economic dependency.