Because of several large and spectacular fires in recent years involving wood roofs, the public has been led to believe by the news media that such fires occur frequently and in fact, are on the increase. Such is not the case.

The National Fire Protection Association, in their annual listings of fire causes, showed "sparks on roofs" accounted for 6.7 percent of all fires in 1945 and continued to decline until 1970, when it showed 0.5 percent and subsequently was dropped from the report. During that same time period (1945-1970), the total number of fires increased from 585,000 to 921,000. "In effect, the 1970 report showed only .05 percent of ALL fires started on the roof, and these were roofs of all types." During that same period, the number of wood shake and shingle roofs increased 250%.

Many home owners have been led to believe that asphalt roofs do not burn; they do.... In a 1977 seven-state study, less than one percent of fires started on roofs: twelve hundredth's of one percent of the fires started on wood roofs, eleven hundredth's of one percent of the fires started on asphalt roofs.