Workplace Fire Deaths in the U.S.: Fire and Explosion Fatalities at Work, 2011 to 2024

This month in brief

• Fires and explosions killed 1,549 U.S. workers from 2011 through 2024, according to BLS CFOI counts compiled for this report.
• The annual count fell from an average of 134.6 in 2011 to 2015 to 90.2 in 2020 to 2024, a 33.0% drop, while total workplace deaths rose.
• Measured per hour worked, the fire and explosion death rate fell 38.0%, from 0.100 to 0.062 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers between the same two periods.
• Explosions, not fires, cause most of these deaths: 59.4% in 2011 to 2022 and 61.9% in 2023 to 2024. Pressure vessel, piping and tire explosions are the largest single subtype.
• Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction has the highest rate by far, 1.246 per 100,000 FTE in 2011 to 2022. Manufacturing has the most deaths of any private sector, 197.
• Four occupation groups (production, construction and extraction, installation and repair, transportation and material moving) account for 62.8% of 2011 to 2022 deaths.
• Nonfatal fire and explosion injuries have not fallen: private employers reported 1,470 days-away cases a year in 2023 to 2024 against 1,516 a year in 2011 to 2015.
• BLS changed its event coding in 2023, so 2023 and 2024 are a break in series; this report flags every comparison that crosses it.

Workplace fire deaths by year, 2011 to 2024

The count of workers killed by fires and explosions has fallen by about a third since the early 2010s, even as total workplace deaths rose. The decline is real but uneven: single bad years such as 2013 and 2022 still stand out.

Workplace fire deaths: In this report, deaths that BLS codes to OIICS event division 3, 'Fires and explosions' (2011 to 2022) or 'Explosions and fires' (2023 onward). The division covers fires, explosions and flash fires at work. It excludes deaths from electrocution, burns from contact with hot objects, and transportation incidents coded to a vehicle event.

BLS counted 144 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 and 93 in 2024. The five-year average fell from 134.6 a year in 2011 to 2015 to 90.2 a year in 2020 to 2024, a 33.0% decline (BLS CFOI flat files; CFOI Table A-1, 2024).

Total work deaths moved the other way. The all-event count averaged 4,712.6 a year in 2011 to 2015 and reached 5,070 in 2024, 7.6% higher. As a result, fires and explosions fell from 2.86% of all U.S. work deaths in 2011 to 2015 to 1.75% in 2020 to 2024.

The highest year in the series was 2013, with 149 deaths. In BLS occupation data that year, protective service occupations recorded 43 fire and explosion deaths, against 11 to 19 in 2011, 2014 and 2015. The low was 2020, with 71 deaths, when hours worked also dropped to 269,900 million from 296,600 million in 2019.

Deaths per 100,000 full-time workers

Counts can fall simply because fewer people work in risky jobs. Dividing by hours worked shows the decline holds per unit of exposure: the rate fell faster than the count.

We divided each year's fire and explosion deaths by total hours worked from the BLS hours-based rate files and applied the BLS base of 200,000,000 hours, which represents 100,000 full-time workers at 40 hours a week for 50 weeks (BLS hours-based rates, 2024).

The resulting rate was 0.112 deaths per 100,000 FTE in 2011 and 0.062 in 2024. Pooled over five-year windows it fell from 0.100 in 2011 to 2015 to 0.062 in 2020 to 2024, a 38.0% decline. For comparison, BLS published an all-cause rate of 3.3 per 100,000 FTE in 2024 (CFOI 2024 release).

These rates are our calculation, not BLS publications. BLS does not publish an hours-based rate for the fire and explosion event group. Our numerator includes a small number of deaths that BLS removes before computing its own rates (workers under 16, volunteers and resident military), so the figures run slightly high, by about the gap between our implied 2024 all-cause rate of 3.41 and the published 3.3.

Explosions outnumber fires

Most workers in this event group die in explosions rather than fires. Pressure vessel, piping and tire explosions are the single largest cause, and they have also fallen the most.

From 2011 to 2022, BLS coded 803 deaths to explosions and 548 to fires, so explosions made up 59.4% of the event group. In 2023 to 2024 the explosion share was 61.9% (CFOI Table A-9, 2024; Table A-9, 2023).

Part of that small increase may come from coding rather than events. OIICS 3.0 moved explosions ahead of fires in order of precedence; before 2023, BLS notes, an explosion that began as a fire was coded as a fire only (OIICS version 3 major changes).

Explosions of pressure vessels, piping or tires killed an average of 35.6 workers a year in 2011 to 2015 and 19.4 a year in 2018 to 2022, a 45.5% drop under the same coding rules. Structural fires fell 32.3% over the same comparison, from 19.2 to 13.0 a year. Wildfire and brush fire deaths averaged 8.2 a year in 2011 to 2015, a figure lifted by 2013, and 1.2 a year in 2018 to 2022.

Facilities that store or process flammable liquids, gases or combustible dusts often use fixed special hazard suppression systems; the inspection intervals for those systems are summarized on our special hazard suppression inspection page.

Which industries record the most fire and explosion deaths

Manufacturing records the most deaths, but mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction carries by far the highest risk per hour worked. Local government ranks second by count.

We summed the BLS sector series for 2011 to 2022, the 12 years coded under one classification, and divided by each sector's hours worked from the BLS hours-based rate files (CFOI archive).

Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction recorded 1.246 fire and explosion deaths per 100,000 FTE in 2011 to 2022, 15.4 times the all-industry rate of 0.081. Fires and explosions caused 9.2% of all deaths in that sector. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting had the next highest rate, 0.439.

Manufacturing recorded 197 deaths, the largest private sector count, and fires and explosions caused 5.2% of all manufacturing work deaths. Retail trade had the lowest rate among the sectors measured, 0.031 per 100,000 FTE.

Transportation and warehousing recorded 85 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 to 2022, 0.8% of the sector's work deaths, where vehicle crashes dominate. Building-type guidance for storage facilities is on our warehouses page.

Below the sector level BLS suppresses many cells, so the detailed counts in the second table are published minimums for 2015 to 2022. Specialty trade contractors (NAICS 238) had at least 50 deaths, support activities for mining (NAICS 213) at least 51, and crop production (NAICS 111) at least 43 (CFOI Table A-1, 2015 to 2022).

Which occupations face the highest risk

Hands-on trades dominate. Production workers, construction and extraction workers, mechanics and repairers, and drivers and material movers make up most of the deaths; mechanics and protective service workers have the highest rates.

Production occupations recorded 250 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 to 2022 and construction and extraction occupations 245. Installation, maintenance and repair occupations recorded 211 deaths and the highest rate of any group, 0.357 per 100,000 FTE (BLS CFOI flat files).

Fires and explosions caused 9.1% of all deaths among production workers, compared with 2.2% among construction and extraction workers, where falls and contact incidents dominate. Protective service occupations, which include firefighters, recorded 129 deaths at 0.344 per 100,000 FTE.

Among detailed occupations, vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics had at least 69 published deaths in 2015 to 2022 and welders, cutters, solderers and brazers at least 49. Firefighters had at least 26 published deaths in 2015 to 2018; the detailed firefighter cell was not published for 2019 to 2022.

2024 worker profile: 94.6% of fire and explosion deaths were men, against 91.9% of all work deaths; 18.3% were self-employed, against 17.5%; and 33.3% were 55 or older, against 36.6% (CFOI Table A-7, 2024).

Nonfatal injuries behind each death

Deaths fell, but serious nonfatal injuries from fires and explosions did not. These injuries are rare but long: the median fire injury kept a worker away nearly three times as long as the median work injury.

Private employers reported 2,940 days-away-from-work (DAFW) cases from explosions and fires over the two-year 2023 to 2024 period, or 1,470 a year (SOII Table R64). That is 3.0% below the 2011 to 2015 private industry average of 1,516 a year, essentially flat while deaths fell by about a third.

Flash fires caused 1,490 of those 2,940 cases, or 50.7%. Fires (without explosions) had a median of 23 days away from work and the full explosions and fires group a median of 17, against 8 days for all events (SOII Table R70). 1,150 cases, 39.1%, lasted 31 days or more.

Set against private industry deaths, the ratio shows how lethal this event group is. There were 18.1 DAFW cases per fire or explosion death in private industry in 2023 to 2024, against 194.1 per death for all events: a serious fire or explosion injury is 10.7 times as likely to be fatal as the average serious work injury. Portable extinguisher inspection rules, which matter most for small incipient fires, are summarized on our fire extinguisher inspection page.

Momentum and share analysis

Download the calculations (CSV)

Findings to track

1. 93 U.S. workers died from fires and explosions in 2024, 1.83% of the 5,070 fatal work injuries recorded that year.^[3][2]
2. The 2024 count is 30.9% below the 2011 to 2015 average of 134.6 deaths a year; all-event work deaths were 7.6% above their 2011 to 2015 average in 2024.^[1][3]
3. The 2011 to 2024 peak was 149 deaths in 2013; the low was 71 in 2020.^[1]
4. Fires and explosions were 2.86% of all U.S. work deaths in 2011 to 2015 and 1.75% in 2020 to 2024.^[1][3][7]
5. In 2024 there was one fire or explosion death at work roughly every 3.9 days.^[3]
6. Explosion of a pressure vessel, piping or tire killed 338 workers in 2011 to 2022 and 30 in 2024, the largest single event subtype.^[1][6]
7. Explosions of nonpressurized vapors, gases or liquids killed 264 workers in 2011 to 2022 and 21 in 2024.^[1][6]
8. Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction recorded 141 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 to 2022, 9.2% of all deaths in that sector, at 1.246 per 100,000 FTE.^[1][11]
9. Manufacturing recorded 197 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 to 2022, the most of any private sector, at 0.118 per 100,000 FTE.^[1][11]
10. Local government accounted for 170 fire and explosion deaths in 2011 to 2022, 12.6% of the national total.^[1]
11. Installation, maintenance and repair occupations had the highest occupation group rate in 2011 to 2022, 0.357 per 100,000 FTE, followed by protective service at 0.344.^[1][11]
12. Men were 94.6% of 2024 fire and explosion deaths (88 of 93), compared with 91.9% of all 2024 work deaths.^[5]
13. Fires (without explosions) kept injured private industry workers away from work a median 23 days in 2023 to 2024, against 8 days for all injury events.^[18]
14. Flash fires caused 1,490 of the 2,940 private industry days-away cases from explosions and fires in 2023 to 2024, or 50.7%.^[17]

Frequently asked questions

Related guides, services and research

• Warehouse fire safety requirements
• Fire extinguisher inspection
• Special hazard suppression inspection
• Fire Alarm Technician Salary by State and Metro
• Fire Extinguisher Recalls and Smoke Alarm Recalls
• Fire Protection Acquisitions in the U.S., 2020 to 2026
• Most Common Fire Code Violations

Methodology

Scope: deaths that BLS codes to OIICS event division 3 (fires and explosions) in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, all U.S. workers including the self-employed and government, 2011 to 2024. CFOI is a census, not a sample: BLS confirms each case with at least two independent source documents. The 2024 data were released February 19, 2026; the 2025 data are scheduled for December 16, 2026.

Data assembly: we streamed the full BLS fw database (4,792,838 series rows and 11,303,022 data rows) and kept every national series in event division 3 plus all-event totals, giving annual counts for 2011 to 2022 by subtype, industry sector, occupation group and worker characteristic. For 2023 and 2024, which are not in the flat files, we parsed BLS Tables A-1, A-5, A-7 and A-9. For detailed industries and occupations we parsed all 16 Tables A-1 and A-5 for 2015 to 2022 and summed the published cells.

Rates: BLS does not publish an hours-based rate for this event group. We divided deaths by total hours worked from the BLS hours-based rate files (civilian workers, from the Current Population Survey) and multiplied by 200,000,000, the BLS base for 100,000 full-time workers. Sector and occupation rates pool 2011 to 2022 deaths and hours. Our numerator includes some workers BLS excludes from its own rates, so our rates run slightly high.

Suppression: BLS does not publish cells that fail its publication criteria. Unpublished years count as zero in pooled totals, so pooled sector, occupation and detailed counts are minimums. The 'years published' column shows how complete each total is.

Classification breaks: BLS implemented OIICS 3.0 for reference year 2023 and calls 2023 a break in series. OIICS 3.0 reversed the precedence of explosions and fires and added a wildfire code. We keep pooled analysis to 2011 to 2022 where comparability matters and flag every comparison that crosses 2023. Occupation codes changed from SOC 2010 to SOC 2018 in 2019 data and industry codes follow successive NAICS versions; major groups and sectors are stable.

Nonfatal injuries: SOII case data cover private industry days-away-from-work cases. Annual estimates for 2011 to 2020 come from the BLS cs database through the keyless BLS Public API v1. For 2021 onward BLS publishes case data every two years; the 2023-2024 figures are two-year totals, which we halve to annualize. SOII is a sample survey and excludes the self-employed, small farms and federal workers.

Excluded: OSHA fatality inspection records were not used because we found no keyless bulk download; Chemical Safety Board investigations, fire deaths by state and OSHA fire safety citations are covered in separate reports. No employer involved in a fatal incident is named. This report describes statistics and is not safety, legal or engineering advice.

Last updated 2026-10-27. Every figure traces to fact_sheet.csv, derived_metrics.csv or a table CSV, and the scripts in the scripts folder rebuild the dataset from the BLS files.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, engineering, financial or investment advice. Requirements depend on the code edition your state and local fire marshal have adopted; confirm with your authority having jurisdiction.

Sources, ranked by quality

Tier 1: primary and official sources (22)

• [1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) time series flat files, fw database. 2011-2022. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024 (news release, February 19, 2026). 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [3] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-1: Fatal occupational injuries by industry and event or exposure, 2024. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [4] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-5: Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure, 2024. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-7: Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics and event or exposure, 2024. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [6] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-9: Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure and industry sector, 2024. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [7] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-1: Fatal occupational injuries by industry and event or exposure, 2023. 2023. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [8] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-9: Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure and industry sector, 2023. 2023. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [9] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI Table A-5: Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure, 2023. 2023. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [10] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI tables index (current release). 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [11] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI archive: Tables A-1 and A-5, 2015-2022, and hours-based rate files, 2011-2022. 2011-2022. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [12] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI hours-based fatal injury rates by industry, occupation and worker characteristics, 2024. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [13] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI hours-based fatal injury rates, 2023. 2023. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [14] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual (OIICS). 2011-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [15] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OIICS version 3: list of major changes. 2023. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [16] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) case and demographic series, cs database (queried through BLS Public API v1). 2011-2020. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [17] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. SOII Table R64: DART, DAFW and DJTR cases by event or exposure and industry sector, private industry, 2023-2024. 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [18] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. SOII Table R70: cases by event or exposure and number of days away, private industry, 2023-2024. 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [19] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023-2024 (news release, January 22, 2026). 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [20] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS release schedule, December 2026. 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [21] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI hours-based rates: concepts and methodology. methodology. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [22] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CFOI news release Table 2: Fatal occupational injuries for selected events or exposures, 2023-24. 2023-2024. Accessed 2026-10-27.