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A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various types of residential, commercial or industrial
building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...
s, such as barn fires. Residential buildings range from single-family detached homes and
townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...
s to apartments and
tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdicti ...
s, or various commercial buildings ranging from
office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...
s to
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
s. This is in contrast to "room and contents" fires,
chimney fire A chimney fire is the combustion (burning) of residue deposits referred to as soot or creosote, on the inner surfaces of chimney tiles, flue liners, stove pipes, etc. Causes The process begins with the incomplete combustion of fuel in the atta ...
s,
vehicle fire A vehicle fire is an undesired conflagration (uncontrolled burning) involving a motor vehicle. Also termed car fire, it is one of the most common causes of fire-related property damage. Causes Accidental A motor vehicle contains many types ...
s,
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
s or other outdoor fires. Structure fires typically have a similar response from the fire department that include
engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power g ...
, ladder trucks,
rescue squad A rescue squad is an emergency service that provides technical rescue services, and may also provide emergency medical services and firefighting services. Rescue squads may be standalone organizations or an integrated part of fire department ...
s, chief officers, and an EMS unit, each of which will have specific initial assignments. The actual response and assignments will vary between fire departments. It is not unusual for some fire departments to have a pre-determined mobilization plan for when a fire incident is reported in certain structures in their area. This plan may include mobilizing the nearest aerial firefighting vehicle to a tower block, or a
foam Foams are materials formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the head on a glass of beer are examples of foams. In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with thin films of liquid or solid separating the ...
-carrying vehicle to structures known to contain certain hazardous chemicals.


Types (United States)

In the United States, according to NFPA, structures are divided into five construction types based on the severity of the fire hazard:


Causes of house fires

In a recent study, conducted by American Survey CO, for the period of 2005 - 2010, the causes of house fires across America were as follows: * Appliances and electrical (stoves, microwaves, toasters, radiators, various heating systems, small appliances) - approximately 47% * Gas leaks - around 5-7% * Open flames (candles, fireplaces) - approximately 32% * Children playing with matches - Around 10% * Spreading of fires from house to house - approximately 3%


See Also

*
Fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...
* Firefighting *
Fire prevention Fire prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public on the precautions which should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires and how to survive these fires in the event that they do o ...


External links


National Fire Protection Association (US)NFPA Research
*Haung, Kai. 2009. Population and Building Factors That Impact Residential Fire Rates in Large U.S. Cities. Applied Research Project. Texas State University. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/287/ {{Fire fighting Firefighting Types of fire