The Common Causes of House Fires & How to Prevent Them

FEMA notes that about half of all home fires are attributed to cooking. In fact, more fires begin in the kitchen than any other room in the house. When you consider the open flames, high temperatures and flammable materials, it’s not hard to see why cooking leads the list of greatest fire risks. 

And the top culprit in the kitchen? Unattended cooking when the resident leaves. Fortunately, the American Red Cross offers several steps you can take to dramatically cut down on your risk of a kitchen fire:

• If you happen to be frying, grilling, or boiling, do not step away from the stove unless you plan to turn it off, as these cooking methods are most likely to present a fire risk.
• Avoid wearing loose or baggy clothing that could get in the way while cooking and catch on fire.
• Always stay in your home while cooking. If necessary, set a reminder on your phone to keep tracking of the cooking time
• Ensure that you have a working smoke detector located in or around your kitchen to quickly alert you of any mishaps. 
• Turn any and all appliances off before heading to bed, including your stovetop.
• Keep any flammable items as far away from your stove or heat-producing appliances as possible
• Prevent the buildup of flammable grease by regularly cleaning your cooking surfaces.
• Enforce a no-child area around the stove to ensure children stay away from places where cooking is happening.

The second leading cause of home fires is attributed to heating equipment. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) notes that about half of all “heating fires” happen in just three winter months: December, January and February. 

Among the various types of heating sources, space heaters and chimneys make up the majority of home fires. Central heating, hot water heaters and heat lamps round out the list of heating devices that lead to residential blazes. However, fires from these heating sources are far less common.



Like cooking, heating your home in the cold winter months is a necessity. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to prevent heating equipment fires:

• Consider forgoing the use of a space heater. They account for more than 40% of home fires in the heating device category.
• Ensure that your chimney is clean and free of debris, as soot and creosote build-up in wood-burning fireplaces creates a significant fire risk. To learn more about chimney fires, check out  “Five Steps to Prevent a Chimney Fire in Your Home." 
• Keep all flammable items away from the heat source. This includes furniture, blankets, clothing, bedding and even fireplace fuel sources, such as wood. 

Electric blankets are one heating source that have gotten a lot of negative attention, though Today notes that’s not totally deserved. Statistically, they do not make up a large percentage of house fires. Still, it’s recommended you follow a few precautions when using electric blankets:

• Check for signs of damage, particularly with the wiring before using.
• Never purchase a second-hand electric blanket.
• Never leave your heated blanket unattended if it’s on.
• Always check to make sure that none of your family members are at risk of tripping over the cords
• Check for recalls on your particular blanket.
• Check to see whether your blanket has been tested and approved by a reputable, outside agency.

Unintentional accidents and carelessness make up the third greatest cause of home fires. These causes are extremely dangerous because they may be the result of years of irresponsible behavior or home neglect. Unlike cooking and heating, which create an obvious risk, these fire dangers are often not readily apparent. You may also be less prepared to react to fires caused by carelessness because they don’t begin in the same manner or location of your home as typical fires. 

Bob Villa offers several important tips to help you avoid avoid residential fires sparked by unintentional or careless behaviors:

• Remove dryer lint after every use
• Regularly clean your home 
• Shake out your toaster after every use to avoid the buildup of flammable crumbs
• Properly store batteries 
• Carefully handle oily rags
• Watch out for rodents, as they like to chew on cords and wires, thereby increasing the risk of electrical fires

If you’re like most people, you’re guilty of at least one of the items on this list. While the fire risk may be a little less apparent than a kitchen grease fire, it’s no less dangerous. Take a few moments to evaluate your home habits and routine to ensure you avoid any of these unintentional fire risks.

According to the NFPA, electrical fires can be caused by faulty wiring, damaged electrical distribution systems, lighting, and anything powered by electricity. With such a wide variety of home items being electrically powered, the chances of any of these devices malfunctioning is a consistent risk. However, there are steps you can take to lessen the dangers posed by electrical malfunctions:

• Check all electrical cords for fraying, tears, pinching, damaged sheathing or other issues that could lead to fire.
• Never run electrical cords under carpeting. The cords could become damaged and cause a fire.
• Never overload power strips or electrical circuits, which can tax your system and lead to a dangerous failure.
• Always heed appliance recalls and check second-hand items to see if they have an active recall before buying.

Fortunately, home fires due to electrical malfunctions have decreased since the high point in 1980, possibly due to stronger electrical equipment, more fire-retardant materials and better awareness. Despite the welcome drop in incidents, it’s important that you recognize the continued risk electrical fires pose.

Although FEMA notes that open flames, irresponsible heat source interactions and smoking make up well under 10% of all residential fires, they’re worth mentioning because they all have something in common: they’re highly preventable and unnecessary. Unlike cooking and heating, you don’t necessarily need candles to run your home. There’s simply no excuse for home fires caused by open flames, smoking and reckless heat source interactions.

Fortunately, you can take steps to significantly decrease your risk of causing a residential fire:

• Never leave candles unattended, place them on unsteady surfaces or surround them with flammable items. Promptly blow them out when you’re done using them.
• Smoke outside only, and douse cigarette butts with water to ensure they’re fully extinguished.
• Keep matches, lighters and other sources of flame away from children and others who are not responsible enough to handle them.
• Educate your children about the risks of fire, and inform them what to do if they ever do encounter a smoke or flames.
• Keep fire extinguishing devices in your home, and ensure that everyone knows how to use them.

In addition to the preventative actions you should take regarding the major sources of home fires, smoke detectors remain the foundation of any fire prevention plan. Contrary to what you may think, Ready.gov notes that smoke and toxic gases kill three times as many people as fire burns. That’s why you must keep smoke detectors on each level of your home, particularly in the kitchen and near sleeping areas. If you sleep with the doors closed, you also need to ensure that smoke detectors are located both inside and outside your bedrooms. Remember to test your smoke detectors each month to ensure they’re functioning properly, and replace the batteries at least once a year. 

Because smoke and gas pose a risk throughout your home, you should also develop a detailed escape plan for every room of your home. Even if a fire starts on the other side of your house, the gasses and smoke pose a huge risk no matter where you are located. Particularly if your home has a second floor, make a plan of escape and share it with every member of your family. Many fires begin at night while you’re asleep, so caution those in your home that they may be very drowsy and confused when they have to evacuate.

Even with smoke detectors, regular product recalls and better equipment quality, your best tool in the fight against house fires lies within you, maintaining diligence and respect for your risks. Always recognize the dangers present in any behavior, and never become complacent. Particularly with cooking, heating and electrical equipment use, you should always keep the dangers in the forefront of your mind and never sacrifice safety for convenience.

Although home fire incidents continue to tick up in the U.S. each year, you have the power to dramatically reduce your risk of ending up on that list. The best way for you to ensure your family is not harmed in a house fire is to prevent it from ever beginning, and that begins with an honest appraisal of your home. Taking the time to evaluate your space isn’t just important — It could prevent a tragedy from occurring. 

• https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/res_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf 
• https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Home_Fire/FireCookingFactSheet.pdf
• https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/#causesR
• https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Home_Fire/FireFAQs.pdf 
• https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem/Heating-equipment 
• https://www.today.com/home/are-electric-blankets-safe-we-asked-experts-t140690
• https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/20-bad-habits-that-could-burn-down-your-house-49425
• https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/US-Fire-Problem/Fire-causes/osHomeElectricalFires.ashx#:~:text=Electrical%20failures%20or%20malfunctions%20are,fires%20caused%20by%20unattended%20equipment
• https://www.ready.gov/home-fires