Accidents
Dying in a fire
Odds
1 in 1,399
lifetime (US) · United States
What this means
A serious household risk that still dwarfs many 'scary' natural hazards people overestimate.
Methodology
Ballpark lifetime odds for fire / smoke inhalation deaths from NSC-style tables. Smoke alarms and housing type matter a lot.
Updated 2026-01-15
Source
NSC / NFPA summaries (illustrative) ↗Share
Odds of dying in a fire: 1 in 1,399 (lifetime (US)). — How Likely Is That? https://www.howlikelyisthat.com/odds/odds-of-dying-in-a-fire
Compare this event
See how it stacks up against something else — get a shareable “N× more likely” line.