Some college officials are concerned that a recent study by the National Fire Protection Association raised too much alarm about residence-hall fires.

The association’s report, released last month, said that dormitory fires had increased sharply in recent years, from 1,800 in 1988 to 3,300 in 2005.

But that increase is far outpaced by the growth in residence-hall occupancy, the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International said in a written statement. In 1980, 1.8 million students lived in dorms, the group said, and by 2000, the latest year for which it gave a number, there were 2.1 million. As a result, there are fewer fires per student today than there were in 1980, the group said.

Also, suite- and apartment-style housing, including kitchens, has increased on campuses over the past several years, and nearly three-fourths of fires from 2002 to 2005 were related to cooking. “Simply overcooking food in a suite or apartment’s oven,” the group said, “can trigger a smoke alarm.”

The group affirmed its commitment to fire safety but warned against inflated numbers. “The statistics quoted in the [association’s] study do not necessarily reflect what is happening in residence halls across the United States,” the statement said. —Sara Lipka