Analyses were made of 1368 patients who attended Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Madras with burns between 1 May 1987 and 30 April 1988. Nine hundred and sixty-five patients were admitted, of whom 505 died. The peak age incidence was in young adults (11-30 years; 58.9 per cent of all burns). Three quarters of the patients came from the low family income group, 39.5 per cent were illiterate and 86.2 per cent of burns occurred in the home. Of those admitted 81 per cent of the injuries were flame burns; in 31.3 per cent the burn affected more than half of the body surface. Of the 505 deaths 94.8 per cent were the result of flame burns (at least 323 being caused by kerosene), and 20.4 per cent were suicide. Most of the deaths (91 per cent) occurred in the first 5 days. The urgent need for burn prevention in the Madras area is discussed.