Focus on Fire: Prevent Home Fires

Did you know that in 2007 78% of all structure fires occurred in residences? Do you regularly check for home fire hazards? The theme of Fire Prevention Week - October 5-11, 2008 is It’s Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Home Fires! A special emphasis is being placed on leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating, electrical, smoking materials and candles.

Cooking Fires

Many families gather in the kitchen to spend time together, but it can be one of the most hazardous rooms in the house if you don’t practice safe cooking behaviors. Cooking equipment, most often a range or stovetop is the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Cooking equipment is also the leading cause of unreported fires and associated injuries.

Watch What You Heat!

The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
STAY ALERT! To prevent cooking fires, you have to be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking alcohol, or have taken medication which makes you drowsy.

Remember to always keep your stovetop, burners and oven clean. Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels away from the stovetop. Always wear short or close fitting sleeves when cooking.

Safe Cooking Behaviors

Choose the right equipment and use it properly!

Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.
Follow manufacturers’ instructions and code requirements when installing and operating cooking equipment.
Plug microwave ovens and other cooking appliances directly into an outlet. Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance, as it can overload the circuit and cause a fire.

Heating

The high cost of home heating fuels and utilities have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. The use of fireplaces, wood burning stoves, and space heaters are growing rapidly. The misuse of wood stoves, portable space heaters, and kerosene heaters are major contributing factors in residential fires.

You can prevent the loss of life and property resulting from heating fires by being able to identify potential hazards and following a few safety tips.

Wood Stoves

Wood stoves cause over 4,000 residential fires every year.* Carefully follow the manufacturer’s installation and maintenance instructions. Check for cracks and inspect legs, hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams. Use only seasoned wood for fuel, not green wood, artificial logs, or trash. Have your chimney and pipes professionally inspected and cleaned annually and check monthly for damage and obstructions.

Electric Space Heaters

Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Check to make sure it has a thermostat control mechanism, and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over. Space heaters need space; keep combustibles at least three feet away from each heater. Always unplug your electric space heater when not in use.

Kerosene Heaters

Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory and check with your local fire department on the legality of kerosene heater use in your community. Never fill your heater with gasoline or camp stove fuel; both flare-up easily. Only use Crystal Clear K-1 Kerosene. Never overfill any portable heater. Use the heater in a well ventilated room.

Fireplaces

Have your chimney professionally inspected and cleaned annually. Check to ensure the damper is open before starting any fire. Never burn trash, paper, or green wood. Use a screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed. Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside the home.

To learn more about smoking and fire safety, visit the Smoking & Home Fires Campaign page.

Smoking

Every year, almost 1,000 smokers and non-smokers are killed in home fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials. These fires are PREVENTABLE! You can make a difference!

Putting out a cigarette the right way only takes seconds. One in four people killed in home fires is not the smoker whose cigarette caused the fire.

If you smoke, smoke outside.
Wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays.
Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out.
Check for cigarette butts.
Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used.
If you smoke, fire safe cigarettes are better!

Electrical

Electrical fires and electrical failures or malfunctions result in an average of 53,600 home fires each year. These fires cause more than 500 deaths, injure 1,400 people and account for $1.4 billion in property damage.*

The home appliances most often involved in electrical fires are stoves and ovens, dryers, central heating units, televisions, radios and CD players.

The following are some safety precautions to consider to help make your home fire safe:

Routinely check your electrical appliances and wiring
Frayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn, old, or damaged appliance cords immediately.
Use electrical extension cords wisely and don’t overload them.
Keep electrical appliances away from wet floors and counters; pay special care to electrical appliances in the bathroom and kitchen.
When buying electrical appliances look for products evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Don’t allow children to play with or around electrical appliances like space heaters, irons and hair dryers.
Keep clothes, curtains, and other potentially combustible items at least three feet from all heaters.
If an appliance has a three- prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
Never overload extension cords or wall sockets. Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker. Use safety closures to “child-proof” electrical outlets.
Check your electrical tools regularly for signs of wear. If the cords are frayed or cracked, replace them. Replace any tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out, or gives off smoke or sparks.

Candles

By the Numbers: Candle Fires*

38%: Percentage of the home candle fires started in the bedroom.
14%: Percentage of home candle fires occurring in December, almost twice the monthly average of 8 percent.
12%: Percentage of home candle fires in which falling asleep was a factor.
54%: Percentage of the home candle fires occurring when some form of combustible material was left or came too close to the candle.
4%: Percentage of fires started by people (usually children) playing with the candle.
91%: Percentage of all reported structure fires started by candles that occurred in homes.

In U.S. homes, candles caused an estimated 17,200 reported structure fires, 200 civilian deaths, 1,540 civilian injuries, and $200 million in estimated direct property damage. (Homes include one and two-family dwellings, apartments and manufactured housing.)*

FACT: The majority of candle fires result from human error and negligence.

Candle Fire Safety Tips

Avoid using lighted candles.
If you use candles, ensure they are in sturdy metal, glass, or ceramic holders and placed where they cannot be easily knocked down.
Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
Set a good example by using matches, lighters, and fire carefully.
Children should never be allowed to play with matches, lighters, or candles.
Never leave the house with candles burning.
Extinguish candles after use.
And, NEVER leave burning candles unattended!

Prevent Home Fires!

The USFA has a lot of information available related to each of the common causes of home fires. There is also information on smoke alarms, escape planning, and residential fire sprinklers. Please find out what you can do to ensure that you and your family lower the risk of a home fire.

* Source: National Fire Protection Association

Related Publications (Download, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Help)

Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires through Strategies Based on Statistical Analysis (PDF, 3.5 Mb)
Check Your Hotspots! (PDF, 206 Kb)
Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings (PDF, 669 Kb)
Heating Fires in Residential Buildings (PDF, 2.7 Mb)
On the Safety Circuit (PDF, 165 Kb)
Protecting Your Family from Fire (PDF, 515 Kb)
Protecting Your Family from Fire - Spanish (PDF, 378 Kb)
Residential Building Electrical Fires (PDF, 451 Kb)
The Seasonal Nature of Fires (PDF, 480 Kb)
Topical Fire Report Series: Winter Fires (PDF, 146 Kb)
Winter Fires: Safety Tips for the Home (PDF, 155 Kb)

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