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A Deadly Disparity: The Urgent Need to Address Fire Risk in Indigenous Communities
By Len Garis and Mandy Desautels
Between 2011 and 2020, fire claimed over 2,200 lives across Canada. Beneath this stark figure lies a deeper tragedy: Indigenous people—First Nations, Métis, and Inuit—accounted for 20% of the fire-related deaths linked to census data during this period, despite comprising just 5% of the population. This fourfold overrepresentation exposes a deadly disparity and signals a national fire safety crisis disproportionately affecting Indigenous communities.
A recent study commissioned by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) and conducted by Statistics Canada offers a sobering, data-driven look at the circumstances surrounding fire-related deaths among Indigenous people. The findings underscore what many fire professionals and community leaders have long known anecdotally: fire prevention and emergency response in Indigenous communities are hampered by systemic neglect, inadequate housing, and a lack of jurisdictional authority. If Canada is to advance both fire safety and reconciliation, this status quo must change.
Younger, Rural, and at Greater Risk
The most striking demographic finding is that Indigenous fire victims were considerably younger than their non-Indigenous counterparts. The average age at death was 39 for Indigenous people, compared to 59 for non-Indigenous people. Alarmingly, 75% of Indigenous fire victims were under the age of 55, and children and youth were overrepresented among the deceased. This tragic reality reflects the youthfulness of the Indigenous population overall, but it also raises questions about whether targeted fire safety messaging and interventions are reaching families with children effectively.
Location further compounds risk. Two-thirds of Indigenous fire victims resided in rural areas, where emergency services are often delayed and fire suppression resources are limited. In these remote settings, long response times, volunteer-based departments, and difficult terrain create barriers to effective fire suppression. By contrast, only one-third of non-Indigenous fire victims lived in rural areas, with half residing in medium-to-large urban centres.
While rurality is a well-documented risk factor in fire safety, its intersection with Indigenous housing conditions makes the situation far more precarious. The study found that over half (56%) of Indigenous fire victims lived in homes requiring major repairs—defined as needing significant structural, plumbing, or electrical work—compared to just 13% of non-Indigenous fire victims. Dwellings in poor repair are more likely to have faulty wiring, inadequate heating, and limited egress options—all of which increase the likelihood and severity of fires.
Residential Fires Dominate—With Tragic Consequences
The vast majority of fire-related deaths occurred in residential settings for both Indigenous (89%) and non-Indigenous (86%) populations. However, Indigenous fire victims were nearly three times as likely to die in incidents that killed multiple occupants (20% versus 7%). This correlates with another concerning data point: Indigenous fire victims lived in households with, on average, five people—twice the number found in non-Indigenous fire victim households. Crowded living conditions can impede escape, increase ignition sources, and accelerate fire spread due to a higher fuel load of personal belongings.
Sources of ignition were difficult to pin down due to the condition of the fire scenes and limited investigative data, but where known, cooking appliances, heating equipment, and electrical sources accounted for 14% of fatal Indigenous fires. Smoking materials and open flames such as candles each accounted for 7%. The higher rate of indeterminate ignition sources among Indigenous fire deaths (72% vs. 55% for non-Indigenous) may reflect the disproportionate destruction caused by fires in older, substandard homes or a lack of capacity in fire investigations in remote regions.
Winter remains the deadliest season for all Canadians, with 36% of Indigenous fire deaths occurring during this period—likely due to increased use of wood-burning stoves, space heaters, and time spent indoors. In colder months, homes under repair strain to retain heat, often relying on risky supplemental heating methods. These factors further exacerbate the risks Indigenous families face.
Smoke Alarms Still Missing or Non-Functional
Despite decades of public education campaigns, functional smoke alarms are still absent in a significant number of fatal fire incidents. Among Indigenous fire deaths in residential settings, 12% occurred in homes without a working smoke alarm—similar to the 11% observed for non-Indigenous deaths. However, this apparent parity is misleading. In 80% of cases, the functionality of alarms could not be confirmed, often due to destruction or lack of data from coroners and medical examiners. This means the true rate of missing or disabled smoke alarms may be considerably higher.
Given the critical life-saving role of smoke alarms—especially in homes with multiple occupants and limited egress options—the failure to ensure universal coverage in Indigenous communities is indefensible. The Ontario Chief Coroner’s Table on fire deaths in First Nations has recommended funding for culturally relevant education, proper installation, and maintenance training, especially with respect to the types of heating and cooking systems used in these homes. These recommendations remain as urgent today as when they were first issued.
What Needs to Change?
This study reinforces what fire professionals have said for decades: fire is not just a technical problem—it’s a social one. When communities lack the basics of safe housing, local fire departments, and equitable emergency response systems, deaths will follow. This is especially true for Indigenous communities, which have long been underserved by federal, provincial, and municipal governments due to complex jurisdictional disputes and underfunding.
To address this disparity, fire safety must become a cornerstone of Canada’s reconciliation efforts. This means:
- Investing in Housing Improvements
Indigenous Services Canada and provincial authorities must accelerate funding to repair and replace homes that do not meet basic safety standards. Fire-safe construction, egress compliance, and up-to-code wiring and heating systems must be mandated—not optional. - Supporting Indigenous Fire Services
Fire departments in Indigenous communities are too often volunteer-run, under-equipped, and unsupported. Sustainable funding models are needed to ensure staffing, apparatus, training, and emergency communications systems are in place and functional. - Mandating Smoke Alarms and Inspections
Federal and provincial authorities should enact and enforce mandatory smoke alarm laws for on-reserve and remote Indigenous housing. This must be paired with culturally competent inspection and installation programs. - Data Collection and Fire Investigation
Without accurate, community-specific fire data, prevention strategies remain reactive. Governments must prioritize the standardization and enhancement of data reporting, especially from rural and Indigenous jurisdictions. - Education and Community Risk Reduction
Programs that integrate local knowledge with fire safety education—like those developed by the NIFSC—must be expanded. These initiatives have shown success when tailored to the needs, languages, and contexts of specific Indigenous communities.
Conclusion
The fire risk faced by Indigenous people in Canada is not an accident of geography or personal behaviour—it is the predictable outcome of systemic neglect. Indigenous people are dying in disproportionate numbers, at younger ages, and in fires that often claim multiple lives. These deaths are preventable.
Fire services professionals across the country must be part of the solution. That means advocating for better housing, supporting Indigenous fire departments, and demanding action from all levels of government. It also means listening to Indigenous voices and leadership—especially organizations like the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council—who are best positioned to lead change.
We have the data. We have the knowledge. What’s needed now is the collective to act.
Sources:
- Eduful, Jeannette. Circumstances surrounding fire-related deaths among Indigenous people in Canada, 2011 to 2020. Statistics Canada (2024).
- National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC)
- Ontario Chief Coroner’s Table on Fire Deaths in First Nations
Authors:
- Len Garis is director of research for the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, Fire Chief for the city of Surrey, B.C., associate scientist emeritus with the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit, lwgaris@outlook.com.
- Mandy Desautels is Chief Administrative Officer at the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, a project of the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada. Prior to joining NIFSC, she worked for BC Emergency Health Services and prominent NGOs. Contact her at desautels@indigenousfiresafety.ca