Each year, the U.S. Fire Administration publishes a statistical portrait of the fire problem in the United States. This brochure summarizes the Twelfth Edition of Fire in the United States, 1989–1998. The analysis addresses the national fire problem and subsets of this problem, such as residential and non-residential fires. The causes of 1998 fires and 10- year trends are shown. Regional and state profiles are included. Casualties to firefighters are also presented. The primary source of data is the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Its data are based on 13,000 participating fire departments. Other data sources include the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Center for Health Statistics, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumer Price Index, Bureau of the Census, and state fire marshals’ offices.