Fire Statistics in Houston and Texas

All across America, fire-related accidents claim the lives of thousands of people and cause billions of dollars in damage. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that there were approximately 1.39 million fires reported in the United States in 2023. These fires caused 3,670 civilian fire deaths and 13,350 reported civilian fire injuries. The property damage caused by these fires was estimated at $23.2 billion.

In Texas, the State Fire Marshal’s Office compiles this data via the Texas Fire Incident Reporting System (TEXFIRS). With 946 fire departments reporting in 2023, the state handles tens of thousands of fire calls each year. The Houston Fire Department, for example, responded to 8,221 fire incidents in 2023. While Texas accounts for a substantial fraction of U.S. fire activity, its per-incident casualty rates (1.5 deaths and 5.1 injuries per 1,000 fires) were slightly lower than the national averages, highlighting the effectiveness of the state's fire response protocols.

Updated Fire Statistics (Texas and Houston)

In the State of Texas, fire statistics are compiled every year by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The agency publishes the numbers in reports like the Texas Fire Incident Reporting System (TEXFIRS) and the Firefighter Fatality Investigations report. In this article, we give a rundown of the 2023 and 2024 statistics to give you and idea about how important it is for Houston and Texas residents to be proactive about their fire prevention strategies.

Total fire incidents: Texas fire departments report roughly 20,000 fires per year; Houston responded to 7,836 fire incidents in 2024.
Civilian fire deaths: Texas had about 327 fire fatalities in 2023; Houston: (no updated figure found).
Civilian fire injuries: Texas saw ~5.1 civilian injuries per 1,000 fires in 2023; Houston: (no updated figure found).
Property damage (Texas): Texas structure fires now cause over $800 million in losses per year(up from $621.6M in 2013).
Fires by type (Texas): ~20,000 structure fires per year (2023), causing >$800M in damage; vehicle fires: 11,971 (2013) incidents causing $75.38M (2013).
Elderly involvement: About 32% of residential fire deaths in Texas involved persons aged 65 or older (2013 data; no newer figure found).
Firefighter injuries: Texas reported 3,421 line-of-duty firefighter injuries in 2023; Houston had 448 (2013) (latest data not available).
Firefighter deaths: Texas had 11 (2023) line-of-duty firefighter fatalities; Houston had 1 firefighter death (Nov 2024).
Smoke/heat detectors: NFIRS data show about 24% of fatal residential fires in 2018–2020 occurred in homes with no smoke alarm present.

Houston Fire Department Reports and Statistics (2024)

According to the official HFD reports, Houston Fire responded to 416,122 total incidents in 2024. Of these, 7,836 were fire calls, 332,206 were EMS calls, and 76,080 were classified as “other” (hazardous materials, false alarms, good-intent, etc.). The 90th-percentile first-response times were 11:05 minutes for fire incidents and 13:57 minutes for EMS incidents. Correspondingly, 84.66% of fire calls were reached within 7:03, and 68.65% of EMS calls were reached within 9:03.

Total incidents (2024): 416,122.
Fire incidents: 7,836.
EMS incidents: 332,206.
Other incidents: 76,080 (includes hazmat, false alarms, etc.)

At Fire Alarm Houston, we encourage our clients to take advantage of our various fire detection and alarm systems. As a Better Business Bureau A+ rated company, we provide state-of-the-art devices and systems to schools, offices, retail complexes, hotels, hospitals, and restaurants in Houston and other areas in Texas. Please call us now at 832-626-7837 or send us a message through our contact page to learn more.

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