Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
According to the National Fire Data Center, multifamily residential building fires accounted for an estimated 109,700 reported fires each year from 2013 to 2015. This is a considerable number for multifamily residential buildings, which include structures such as apartments, town houses, row houses, condominiums and other tenement properties.
During those years, cooking (74% of fires) was the leading cause of multifamily residential building fires. Of the cooking fires, 93% were small, confined fires with limited damage. However, even with a relatively small fire, in many instances, smoke can impact other units in the building as it travels through shared walls, ceilings, attics, hallways, elevator shafts and other spaces.
Smoke is made up of a number of combustion by-products that may include ash, soot, char and other materials. It can often easily infiltrate large areas of a building, leaving behind odors and residues which can cause corrosion, etching and discoloration within the property. Smoke residues can also cause damage to electronic devices.
Even fire suppression efforts to put out a relatively small fire can cause water damage to building materials, furnishings and belongings. Water used to put out a fire in a third floor apartment will makes its way down to the lowest level it can reach, typically resulting in water damage on multiple floors. There may be obvious signs of damage, such as water logged floors or stained ceilings, but even water and moisture behind walls and ceilings, without obvious signs of its presence, can cause damage and quickly lead to the growth of mold. Mold can begin to grow in as short as 48 hours on many wet materials and elevated levels of mold will impact the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the building. Any airborne mold spores can spread in a manner similar to that of smoke, impacting multiple units.
Older multifamily residential buildings that require remediation and repairs could pose additional exposure risks if there are lead-based paints or asbestos-containing materials. If disturbed without the proper safety precautions in place, both workers and residents could be at risk.
These are just a few of the many potential exposure risks to consider after a fire in a multifamily residential building. To learn more about this or other building science, indoor environmental quality, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
According to the National Fire Data Center, multifamily residential building fires accounted for an estimated 109,700 reported fires each year from 2013 to 2015. This is a considerable number for multifamily residential buildings, which include structures such as apartments, town houses, row houses, condominiums and other tenement properties.
During those years, cooking (74% of fires) was the leading cause of multifamily residential building fires. Of the cooking fires, 93% were small, confined fires with limited damage. However, even with a relatively small fire, in many instances, smoke can impact other units in the building as it travels through shared walls, ceilings, attics, hallways, elevator shafts and other spaces.
Smoke is made up of a number of combustion by-products that may include ash, soot, char and other materials. It can often easily infiltrate large areas of a building, leaving behind odors and residues which can cause corrosion, etching and discoloration within the property. Smoke residues can also cause damage to electronic devices.
Even fire suppression efforts to put out a relatively small fire can cause water damage to building materials, furnishings and belongings. Water used to put out a fire in a third floor apartment will makes its way down to the lowest level it can reach, typically resulting in water damage on multiple floors. There may be obvious signs of damage, such as water logged floors or stained ceilings, but even water and moisture behind walls and ceilings, without obvious signs of its presence, can cause damage and quickly lead to the growth of mold. Mold can begin to grow in as short as 48 hours on many wet materials and elevated levels of mold will impact the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the building. Any airborne mold spores can spread in a manner similar to that of smoke, impacting multiple units.
Older multifamily residential buildings that require remediation and repairs could pose additional exposure risks if there are lead-based paints or asbestos-containing materials. If disturbed without the proper safety precautions in place, both workers and residents could be at risk.
These are just a few of the many potential exposure risks to consider after a fire in a multifamily residential building. To learn more about this or other building science, indoor environmental quality, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
