Avoid main cause of house fires
Learn what are the main causes for home fires and how to prevent them.
SPOILER – “don’t leaving stove unattended, have working smoke detectors, and fire sprinklers”
Before we promote a key solution to America’s home fire problem (e.g., fire sprinklers), we must first convince decision makers why they’re needed in the first place. Fire data can help cement the importance of requiring this technology.
Here are some new facts that will help your cause. NFPA’s latest report underscores the leading cause of home fires and injuries: cooking. Here are other key findings from the “Home Cooking Fires” report:
- Between 2012-2016, there was an average of about 470 home cooking fires per day. These fires caused an average of 530 civilian deaths, 5,270 reported civilian fire injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage per year.
- Unattended cooking was the leading cause of cooking fires and casualties. Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1 percent of these fires, but clothing ignitions led to 15 percent of the home cooking fire deaths.
Home fires caused by cooking peaked at Thanksgiving and Christmas. - Ranges or cooktops were involved in the 63 percent of reported home cooking fires, 86 percent of cooking fire deaths, and 79 percent of cooking fire injuries.
- Households that use electric ranges have a higher risk of cooking fires and associated losses than those using gas ranges.
- One-third of the people killed by cooking fires were sleeping at the time. More than half of the non-fatal injuries occurred when people tried to control the fire themselves.
[pld_post_list]
