Where do most house fires start? (2023)

What is the most common way house fires start?

The number one cause of house fires is unattended cooking. Make sure that you stay in the room while you are cooking with a heat source.

Most electrical fires are caused by faulty electrical outlets and old, outdated appliances. Other fires are started by faults in appliance cords, receptacles and switches.

A house fire happens every 87 seconds. Over 22% of non-residential fires are electrical fires, caused by short circuits or wiring problems. Thanksgiving is the peak day for cooking fires. NFPA reports that close to 30% of fires start in homes.

Cooking Fires

The #1 cause of house fires, accounting for 42% of reported incidents, is cooking. Open flames from the stove and intense heat in the oven easily result in a fire when unsupervised. Most often food or cooking tools catch fire and quickly lose control.

And these fires have a high potential for tragedy since they often happen when people are asleep. These fires are often due to faulty or overtaxed wiring or malfunctioning lighting,⁶ but bedroom fires also start with cords, space heaters, or electric blankets.

Heating equipment, like space heaters, are involved in 1 of every 6 home fires. Furthermore, 1 in every 5 home fire deaths and half of all fires caused by home heating occur between December and February. Make sure to always keep anything that gives off heat at least 3 feet away from flammable materials or items.

On average, a fire department responded to a fire somewhere in the US every 23 seconds in 2021. A home structure fire was reported every 93 seconds, a home fire death occurred every three hours and eight minutes, and a home fire injury occurred every 47 minutes.

The top causes of accidental fires in the home are: cooking or cooking appliances (including cookers, ovens, hotplates, grill pans, deep fat fryers, microwaves and toasters)

Oxygen, heat, and fuel are frequently referred to as the "fire triangle." Add in the fourth element, the chemical reaction, and you actually have a fire "tetrahedron." The important thing to remember is: take any of these four things away, and you will not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished.

How quickly do house fires spread?

A fire can become life-threatening in just two minutes. A residence can be engulfed in flames in five minutes.

To survive you must STAY INSIDE until the fire passes.

Close all windows and doors; place wet towels under door and window openings. Have your fire extinguishers out and ready to use. Fill sinks, tubs, and buckets with water for extinguishing any embers that enter the space as well as for drinking and flushing toilets.

An electrical fire can start slowly or happen instantly, with the source sparking in 2 minutes or lurking for 2 years.

Home fires can happen at any time, but they generally increase during the fall and winter, with December and January being the peak months. Home fires are also more common on Saturday and Sunday, and tend to peak between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.

At 3,400 ppm (as is found in most enclosed structure fires), survival time is cut to less than one minute.

Facts about home clothes dryer fires

2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. Failure to clean the dryer (34 percent) is the leading cause of home clothes dryer fires.

Residential building garage fires are considered part of the residential fire problem and comprised about 2 percent of all residential building fires. Fires originating in residential building garages tend to be larger and spread farther than fires that start in other areas of a residence.

Breathing even small amounts of smoke and toxic gases can make you drowsy, disoriented and short of breath. The odorless, colorless fumes can lull you into a deep sleep before the flames reach your door. You may not wake up in time to escape.

Close doors behind you. If smoke, heat or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with doors closed. Place a wet towel under the door and call the fire department or 9-1-1. Open a window and wave a brightly colored cloth or flashlight to signal for help.

What are signs of a house fire?

You'll know if your home is in danger of an electrical fire if you see (or smell) these signs: Circuit breaker keeps tripping. Persisting burnt smell with no identifiable source. Several discolored or charred outlets and switches.

Roof. The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home. Homes with wood or shingle roofs are at high risk of being destroyed during a wildfire.

If you're using a new electric blanket, the fire hazard risk is minimal. Older electric blankets present a bigger danger. Wire damage and frayed fabric in older electric blankets can spark a house fire.

More than half of all home fire deaths occur between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. You should make sure you have an escape plan and that you practice with your family. You can help protect your family by planning and practicing a home fire escape plan!

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States, starting almost half of all fires. Heating is the second highest cause, followed by electrical systems/lighting equipment and intentional fires.