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“When I came home…Everything was gone.” The Impact of Residential Fires on Children

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Abstract

Children’s reactions to residential fires were explored using a qualitative methodology. Forty-four children (n = 44) between the ages of 6 and 18 (23 female and 21 male) participated. The youth were interviewed using two instruments that assessed levels of psychological distress and explored their perceptions regarding their experiences of the fire. The following five themes were identified through qualitative analysis of the interview transcriptions: vivid description, fear/trauma, physical injury, losses, and gains. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Russell T. Jones, Thomas H. Ollendick, Christina M. Mathai, Katherine R. Allen, James M. Hadder, Sara Chapman & O’Bryan Woods

Authors
  1. Russell T. Jones
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  2. Thomas H. Ollendick
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  3. Christina M. Mathai
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  4. Katherine R. Allen
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  5. James M. Hadder
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  6. Sara Chapman
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  7. O’Bryan Woods
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Russell T. Jones.

Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Fire Questionnaire—Child Form [16]

  1. 1.

    Tell me about the recent fire you experienced.

  2. 2.

    Now I want you to take me through that experience step by step so that I can more clearly understand exactly what happened.

  3. 3.

    How serious did you think the fire was at first? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  4. 4.

    After the fire was over, how serious did you think it was? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  5. 5.

    What do you think caused the fire? Arson, accident, act of nature, other, don’t know

  6. 6.

    Sometimes when bad things happen, such as the fire you experienced, people feel that there are things they could have done during the fire but didn’t do and may feel guilty. I’d like to talk with you about some of these things, okay? Do you think you should have been able to keep the fire from happening?

  7. 7.

    How much do you feel you should have been able to prevent the fire? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  8. 8.

    Do you feel like the fire was your fault? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  9. 9.

    Before the fire, had you been trained in fire safety? If yes, where, when, with whom and what did you learn?

  10. 10.

    Were there things you should have known that you didn’t know about how to stop the fire? If yes: How much guilt d you feel about this? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  11. 11.

    Were there things you should have done to stop the fire but didn’t do? If yes: How much guilt do you feel about this? Not at all, a little, some, or a lot?

  12. 12.

    Have you ever experienced any other thing like the fire? Earthquake, other fire, flood, mudslide, severe storm, other. Briefly describe these things and tell me now you felt during and after them.

  13. 13.

    We have talked about some of the bad things caused by the fire. However sometimes good things happen because of a fire and I would like to know if any good things happened to you because of the fire.” Did you make new friends because of the fire? If yes, how many new friends did you make because of the fire: None, a few (1–2), some (3–5), a lot (more than 5).

  14. 14.

    Did you get new neighbors because of the fire?

  15. 15.

    How many new things did you get because of the fire? None, a few, some, a lot. If a few or more: What sort of things did you get?

  16. 16.

    Were there any other good things that happened because of the fire? If yes, please tell me about them.

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Jones, R.T., Ollendick, T.H., Mathai, C.M. et al. “When I came home…Everything was gone.” The Impact of Residential Fires on Children. Fire Technol 48, 927–943 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0252-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0252-2

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