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 A NEW report from the US National Fire Protection Association provides further evidence that the very young and elderly are most at risk from fires in the home.
In addition, people aged 65 and over were more than twice as likely to suffer a fatal injury. The risk of death increased with age among older adults, with those 85 and over being nearly four times as likely to be victims.
However, despite concerns over the age of victims, the report explains that, overall, the number of fire deaths and injuries in US home fires has fallen significantly in recent times.
Other findings from the analysis of home fires in 2002-05 include:
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the risk of injury among adults aged 20-34 was 30% greater than the average person
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heating equipment is the leading cause of fire deaths among children aged 14 and under
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males have a 30% higher risk of home fire death than females and an 18% higher risk of injury
The report is available from website: http://www.nfpa.org/
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