After three fire fatalities in Horry County in less than 24 hours, fire officials say they won't know the cause of those fires for several days, so it's too early to know whether they have anything in common.

But statistics show, the region of the country where you live can make a difference in whether a fatal fire will happen near you.

Horry County has an I.S.O. fire rating of 5 for most areas, which officials say is a good rating for such a large county.

I.S.O. is the Insurance Services Office, and the higher its rating, the less residents will pay for fire insurance.

The rating is based on things like fire manpower and equipment, so having a number of serious fires in a short amount of time won't affect the rating, but it can an impact on the fire department in other ways.

"Obviously, it takes a toll on people, especially people that are new in the business," said Todd Cartner, Horry County Fire/Rescue public information officer.

While South Carolina has fewer fatal fires than it used to, numbers from the U.S. Fire Administration show the state ranks 14th in fatal fire occurrence, with a fire death rate of 16.2, well above the national average of 12.3 per million population.

"Statistics prove that the income level and the educational level is somewhat lower in south carolina than it is in a lot of states," Cartner said.

There have been seven fire fatalities in Horry County in 2008, which the coroner says is below average, so it would appear having three over the span of 24 hours is just a tragic coincidence.

But it's why fire officials stress prevention measures like having working smoke detectors in your home and an escape plan.

"The key is to be prepared yourself and to help us so that we can help you," Cartner said.