The 12th edition of Fire in the United States covers the 10-year period from 1989 to 1998, with emphasis on 1998. As usual in this series, this edition describes the overall national fire problem; examines aspects of the problem in residential and non-residential structures, vehicles, and outside fires; and addresses casualties sustained by firefighters in the line of duty. Additionally, this report presents the number of fires and deaths in each state for 1998 and, where available, the 10-year trends. Special analyses address the problem of fire as it related to the very young and to older adults. These individuals are at higher-than-average risk from fire, a problem receiving high attention by the USFA.

Of arson trends, investigation unit best practices, current state of the art and needs.