Fires in U.S. Houses of Worship: Factual Overview (1996–2024)

Publicly available data on fires in U.S. churches and other houses of worship is collected primarily through the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). These systems document both accidental and intentional fires.

There is no single federal database listing every church fire nationwide for any decade.

Key Data Sources

1. U.S. Fire Administration – “Fires in Houses of Worship” (1996–1998 report)

   • Average of 1,300 fires per year in houses of worship in the U.S.

   • 25% were classified as incendiary or suspicious.

   • 65% of affected buildings lacked smoke alarms.

   • 96% lacked sprinkler systems.

   • Annual property loss was about $38 million.
     (Source: U.S. Fire Administration, Topical Fire Research Series, Vol. 2, Issue 7, 1999)

2. U.S. Fire Administration / FEMA – 2020–2022 Data Summary

   • Average of 1,300 fires per year in “places of worship.”

   • The leading causes in recent years include electrical malfunction, cooking, heating, and intentional actions.

   • (Source: usfa.fema.gov/prevention/arson/houses-of-worship)

3. Pew Research Center Analysis (2015)

   • Between 1996 and 2015, approximately 4,705 fires occurred at houses of worship nationwide.

   • 51% of these fires were ruled intentional by investigators.

   • (Source: Pew Research Center report on FBI and NFIRS data, 2015)

4. Family Research Council (FRC) – Hostility Tracker (2018–2024)

   • Recorded 1,384 incidents of vandalism, arson, or other hostility toward U.S. churches from 2018 through 2024.

   • 55 of these incidents in 2024 were classified as arson or attempted arson.

   • (Source: Family Research Council, “Hostility Against Churches” Report, 2024)

Verified Facts

• Fires in houses of worship have been consistently recorded by U.S. Fire Administration data at about 1,300 incidents per year since at least the late 1990s.

• A substantial portion of these fires are determined to be intentional; official percentages have ranged from 25% (1996–1998) to 51% (1996–2015) depending on dataset and methodology.

• Older churches and other houses of worship often lack smoke detection and sprinkler systems, contributing to higher losses.

• NFIRS reporting is voluntary, so data coverage varies by state and department.

• The U.S. Fire Administration continues to track arson and prevention efforts through its Houses of Worship Arson Prevention Initiative.

• Media-based trackers (e.g., FRC reports) document far fewer total incidents because they rely on open-source reporting, not fire-department submissions.

Limitations

• “Church” is not separately categorized from other places of worship in NFIRS; official data combines churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples under one code.

• Many fires are reported as having an “undetermined” cause, meaning the true number of arson cases is not precisely known.

• Some smaller or rural fire departments do not participate fully in NFIRS reporting.

Conclusion (Fact Summary Only)

• National fire-incident records show roughly 1,300 fires annually in U.S. houses of worship.

• Documented analyses (Pew Research, USFA) confirm that a significant fraction — between one-quarter and one-half — have been determined intentional in past datasets.

• Data limitations prevent a complete count of all church fires nationwide for any given decade.

• Federal and local agencies continue to monitor, prevent, and investigate arson involving houses of worship.