本研究旨在探討1999年9月2I日凌晨發生規模7．3之集集大地震後火災問題，從統計觀點進行分析。重點置於火災來源之起火機制。依相關文獻所示，對於地震後火災所造成的生命與財產的損失。有時甚至超過地震所引起的直接災害：如 I叨6年舊金山大地震損害中有80是由火災所造成，損失比地震本身造成的直接破壞損失還高出十倍多;1923年關東大地震經估計死者10萬人中就有95皆為火災燒死，1989年美國LomaPrieta地震中，單由火災所造成的損失竟超過100億美元，以上都顯示出震後火災之破壞威力。為瞭解如此重要現象，本文調查暨蒐集921災區震後火災資料，經分析結果指出，在調查的七個縣市中，震後一日內的起火件數共有90件(包括由住戶自行撲滅的小火);而震後三日內起火件數共有117件，其中41集中於震後1小時內發生(相對於日本阪神大地震50.3)。在震後一日內的起火件數中有44件(48.9)是出電氣與瓦斯引起的，在1994年美國加州北嶺大地震與1995年日本阪神大地震也呈現類似現象。

　　　　　The purpose of the study is to investigate the post-earthquake fires of the 1999 Chi-Chiearthquake for force 7.3 based upon Richter Magnitude Scale. The paper focuses on theanalysis, from the statistical viewpoint, of the ignition sources and scenarrios of the firesfollowing the Chi-Chi earthquake. According to the literature surveys, large post-earthquakefires in an urban region can cause severe losses; sometimes more than the total losses from thedirect damage caused by the earthquake. For example, eighty percent of the property losseswere caused by the post-earthquake fires in the 1906 San Francisco erthquake; ninety-fivepercent, among one hundred thousand of the victims, were attacked by fires in the 1923 Kantoerathquake; and the property losses were more than ten billion U.S. dollars in the 1989 LomaPrieta earthquake. In view of the above events, these demonstrate the destruction potential ofthe post-earthquake fires. For the purpose of developing recommendations to reduce thenumber of ignition sources of the future post-earthquake fires, we investigate and collect theChi-Chi post-erathquake fire events. The results show that the number of fires (includingsmall fires extinguished by residents) that started immediately after the earthquake up to theend of September 21 totaled 90 and up to the end of September 23 totaled 117 in surveyedcities. Forty-one percent of the fire events (in 3 days after the earthquake) distribute in thefirst hour (compared with 50.3 percent in the Hanshin earthquake). During the first day afterthe earthquake, a total of 44 cases (48.9) were related to electricity and gas. In the 1994 Northridge and 1995 Hanshin earthquakes, it is also conjectured that many fires were causedby a similar phenomenon.