This research aims to identify the origin and hidden causes affecting the ‎occurrence of fires and accidents in the metropolis of Mashhad. The present ‎research is of a descriptive-analytical type that was conducted using the ‎exploratory factor analysis method. In this research, statistical data on ‎fires and accidents of the Mashhad Fire Department during the years 1395 to ‎‏1403 were used.‏
Data related to the causes and origin of fires were categorized into 25 ‎different components and data related to urban accidents were categorized into ‎‏21 components. The adequacy of the sample and the appropriateness of the ‏correlation matrix were confirmed in the fire section with KMO=0.888 and ‎Bartlett's test χ²(300)=2314.183, p<0.001, and in the urban accidents section ‎with KMO=0.816 and Bartlett's test χ²(210)=1000.476, p<0.001.
Exploratory ‎factor analysis identified five main factors for the fire category, which ‎together explain 70.75% of the variance. The main factors included heat from ‎electrical distribution network components and electrical problems with ‎electrical appliances (46.96%), carelessness and high-risk human behavior ‎‎(8.13%), ignition of flammable liquids and gases (5.97%), and high-risk daily ‎activities (5.07%).‎
In the urban accidents (rescue and rescue) category, five factors were ‎identified, accounting for a total of 74.14% of the variance. The main factors ‎included entrapment in confined spaces, elevators, and entrapment of body ‎parts (39.412%), structural hazards, building debris, and indirect falls ‎‎(14.658%), flooding incidents and water/wastewater infrastructure incidents ‎‎(8.838%), and urban gas incidents and respiratory poisoning (6.074%).‎