One type of very serious injury that can occur in number of situations is fire and burn injuries. When a person suffers from a fire or burn because of another party's negligence, they may be eligible for compensation with the assistance of an injury attorney. In order for a fire injury to take place, a fire must be started or an element capable of causing severe burns must be introduced. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) states that, in 2012, there were 1,375,000 fires reported in the United States:

• 480,500 were structure fires including buildings and homes
• 172,500 were vehicle fires
• 692,000 were fires that took place outdoors

Additionally, the American Burn Association (ABA) reports that, from 2003 to 2012, 72% of burn or fire injuries or deaths occurred in a residential home, 9% occurred at work, 5% occurred on the street, another 5% occurred in a recreational or sports setting and 9% occurred in miscellaneous locations. The CDC reports that 85% of fatal fire and burn injuries occur in a residence.

Not all burn injuries are the result of a fire. The ABA reports that from 2003 to 2000, 43% of burn injuries resulted from a fire or flame, 34% resulted from a scald, 9% resulted from contact with the hot surface, 4% were electrical burns, 3% were chemical burns and 7% were miscellaneous types of burns. The CDC reports that cooking is a primary cause of residential fires and burn and fire injuries are the third biggest cause of fatal home accidents.

Though many burns take place in the home, negligence can still be involved in burn accidents. In New Hampshire, when a person is seriously injured or killed due to another party neglecting their duty of care, the family or the victim may hold the negligent party responsible for medical bills and other costs that resulted from their injury. Examples of burns caused from negligence include:

• Chemical or electrical burns sustained on the job
• Fires or burns resulting from defective products
• Burns resulting from a fire that residents were not made aware of due to a faulty smoke alarm
• Burns from hot surfaces that were not properly labeled

Burn injuries are quite common. The Concord Monitor reports a recent explosion in a ball bearing factory in Peterborough New Hampshire were 15 people were injured. The article states that a massive explosion occurred in mid-February causing multiple windows to be blown out of the bottom floor of the factory in a four alarm blaze. The cause of the fire has not been released but officials believe that it may have something to do with hazardous chemicals that are used in the plant. They victims will likely be eligible for compensation due to the nature of this accident. Likely, some safety measure was not followed or mistake was made that can be classified as negligence.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a fire or burn accident in New Hampshire, contact an injury attorney to find out more about your rights.