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Common Places That Fires Occur in the Home

Of all fires reported in the U.S. every year, 31 percent happen in  residential homes. That’s due to a number of factors: negligence, open  flames, cooking, and more. A key to preventing fire is understanding  common causes. 

Where house fires originate

House fires have a pattern—they start in some places more than  others. Based on research from fires that occurred between 2009 and  2013, here are the most common places fires begin:

#1: Kitchen

Half of all house fires start in the kitchen. That’s no surprise  since it’s where you do the most cooking and house many appliances. This  is an easy place to prevent fires since they’re normally man-made. Just  keep an eye on the oven, combustible items away from the stove, and  you’ll already be safer.

#2: Bedroom

About 7% of all house fires start in the bedroom. The amount of plush  objects in bedrooms has something to do with it. Mattresses for one,  can be very flammable unless they’re new. If you have a mattress that  was made before 2007, it probably doesn’t abide by the Federal Mattress  Flammability Standard. All mattresses made after 2007 are flame  retardant and held to a higher safety standard. Do yourself a favor and  go buy one!

#3: Chimney

Like everything else, chimneys need to be cleaned. We suspect 6  percent of all house fires happen in chimneys because people neglect to  have them serviced. Every time you have a fire, sap and ash from  whatever you’re burning coats the inside of your chimney. Determine if  your chimney needs to be cleaned by doing a space test. Open the flue,  put on protective glasses, and get a flashlight. Then, shine a light up  the chimney and scrape the inside with something sharp. If the residue  is 1/8 inches thick, schedule a cleaning. If residue is closer to 1/4  inch, don’t have another fire until your chimney is professionally  cleaned.

#4: Living room

Living rooms or family rooms often contain candles, fireplaces,  electronics, and heating equipment. They also contain couches and other  flammable items. Since 4 percent of house fires start in living rooms,  we can assume these factors have something to do with it.

#5: Laundry room

Laundry rooms are where 3 percent of all house fires begin. Dryer  lint is a main cause of laundry room fire. If you don’t clean vents and  filters regularly, the heat could cause lint to catch fire. Try not to  run the washer or dryer when you’re not home in case something gets  overheated and you need to act.

#6: Outside

House fires start outside 3% of the time. This is where people keep  grills, smoke, have bonfires, and light off fireworks. Just know that if  you have a fire outside, it could catch onto your home if you’re not  careful.

#7: Attic

Attics aren’t always accessible, so you might not know what’s going  on up there. Whether it’s a crawl space or a walk-up, make sure to hire  someone or check it out yourself. 

 


 



Top Causes of Fires

Now that you know where fires most commonly start, find out what causes them.

#1: Cooking

House fires happen most during dinner hours—between 5:00 and 8:00  p.m. That’s because people are cooking. If you’re preparing dinner,  here’s what you should remember:

  • For grease fires, only use a fire extinguisher (class B) or baking  soda. Do not use water! It will spread the oil/grease and make your fire  worse.
  • Never leave your food unattended. Fires only need 30 seconds to go  from a small flame to an out-of-control blaze, so even going to the  bathroom could endanger your home.
  • Turn off the stove and all appliances once you’re done cooking.
  • Keep everything off hot surfaces. For instance, don’t throw a dish towel on top of the stove, because it could still be hot!
  • Don’t wear baggy clothing. It could catch fire accidentally.
  • Keep the grill at least 10 feet from vegetation and the house.

#2: Heating equipment

Almost 13% of all residential fires are caused by heating equipment.  You can prevent heating equipment from catching fire by inspecting and  cleaning wood stoves and chimneys, using a fireplace screen, and having  your hot water heater and furnace serviced regularly. Space heaters can  also cause fires if left too close to walls, drapes, and bedding. If you  have a space heater, give it some room.

# 3: Electrical equipment

Electrical equipment causes over 6 percent of house fires. Look for  frayed wires, surge marks in wire, and damaged cords. If you see any  exposed wires, unplug the electronic and replace it immediately. Also,  keep all cords away from furniture and rugs. Running cords under rugs is  dangerous.

#4: Carelessness

Mistakes happen. For house fires, negligence causes 5.8 percent of  blazes. Carelessness includes not putting our cigarettes, leaving  candles burning, putting heating equipment near combustible items, and  more. Fire is dangerous. Never treat anything hot or on fire with  anything but the utmost care.

#5: Open flame

Candles, fires in the fireplace, and outdoor bonfires are enjoyable  when controlled, but disastrous when they’re not. About 4 percent of all  house fires start from an open flame. You can prevent fires by always  putting out flames completely, never having a bonfire on a windy day,  and keeping flames away from flammable objects.

#6: Appliances

Appliances cause about 4 percent of house fires. You can decrease the  chances of something malfunctioning and catching on fire by making sure  it’s approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The UL has high  safety standards, so you’ll know the appliance is well made. Another way to keep appliances functioning properly is to never plug  them into an extension cord or two-slot outlet. You should unplug  everything when you’re away on vacation too, just in case.

#7: Intentional

Arson is a felony and can result in up to 20 years (unless deemed a  misdemeanor). Alas, people still do it. Out of all house fires, 4.2  percent are intentionally set.

#8: Smoking

About 2 percent of fires are caused by cigarettes. One way you can  prevent fires from cigarettes is to stop smoking them! Another is to do  so outdoors and put your spent cigarette butts into water.

#9: Natural

Wildfires and those caused by lightning are unavoidable. Don’t worry  though. Natural causes only account for 1.6 percent of all house fires. 

Other Potential Fire Hazards

Aside from top fire starters, here are some others to consider:

  • Christmas Trees  Most Christmas tree fires start because of faulty lights or proximity  to a heat source. Christmas tree fires are normally pretty serious too.  On average, one out of 31 Christmas tree fires kills someone. Prevent  this from happening by putting new lights on your Christmas tree,  inspecting older lights, and keeping them away from heat sources. 
  • Kids Between 2007 and 2011, nearly 50,000 fires were started by people  playing with fire. Of those, 43 percent were started by children under  six years old and 38 percent of outdoor fires were caused by children  aged 10– Keep matches away from kids, teach them about fire safety, and  never leave them unattended with flammable objects. 
  • Hover-boards You probably have read about it in the news, but hover-boards are no  longer welcome on flights or in most homes. The batteries overheat and  have caused severe burns and devastating house and car fires. Don’t buy  one for your kids until they’re manufactured with high safety standards. 
  • Beauty Tools  Hair straighteners and curling irons get hot. If you forget to unplug  them, they could start a fire. Always unplug your beauty products and  leave them on a hard surface (like a marble countertop) and away from  flammable objects. 
  • Grills Don’t ever leave a grill unattended. Fat dripping from oil or meat  could cause a flare-up that can quickly grow out of control. Also,  remember to keep grills away from brush, your home, and overhanging  branches—10 feet or more is typically a safe distance. 
  • Vents Don’t’ forget to clean your vents and filters! They can get build up  with lint, hair, dust, and other flammable residue that can catch fire. 

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