Emergency Services Department Facts & Figures

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Home Fires

House fires remain one of the leading causes of property loss and fatalities across the U.S. Understanding when and where these fires occur—and how to prevent them—can help save lives.

Nighttime Fires Are Especially Dangerous
Nearly 50% of all home fire deaths occur between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, a period when most people are asleep. However, only 20% of fires are reported during those hours, underscoring the increased risk.
Where Fires Begin
- 25% of home fire deaths start in bedrooms.
- Another 25% occur in living rooms, family rooms, or dens.
These living areas often contain upholstery, electronics, and heaters—contributing to faster fire spread.
Smoke Alarms Are Critical
3 in 5 home fire fatalities happen in homes without working smoke alarms. Ensuring every level of your home has a functional alarm is a key step in protecting your family.
The 2013 Snapshot
U.S. fire departments responded to approximately 369,500 home structure fires, which resulted in:
- 2,755 deaths
- 12,200 civilian injuries
- Over $7 billion in property damage
Daily Impact
On average, 8 people died every day in 2013 due to home fires in the U.S.
Leading Causes of Fires and Deaths
- Cooking equipment is the top cause of home fire-related injuries.
- Heating equipment ranks second.
- Smoking materials are the primary cause of home fire deaths.
Multi-Fatality Fires Are Rare—but Deadly
Most fatal fires result in the loss of one or two lives. In 2013, however, 12 fires killed five or more individuals, totaling 67 deaths.
Household Fire Risk Over Time
From 2007 to 2011, about 1 in every 320 U.S. households reported a home fire annually.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms are a critical component of home fire safety—yet too often, they are missing or non-functional. The following facts highlight the importance of installing and maintaining working alarms in every home:

Three out of five home fire deaths from 2007–2011 occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms.
Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported home fire by 50%.
In fires large enough to trigger an alarm:
- Hardwired alarms worked 93% of the time
- Battery-powered alarms worked 79% of the time
The most common reason smoke alarms fail is due to missing, disconnected, or dead batteries.
Ionization smoke alarms are generally more responsive to flaming fires, while photoelectric smoke alarms respond better to smoldering fires.
For optimal protection—especially where extra response time is needed to assist others—experts recommend installing both types of alarms, or using combination ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors.

Escape Planning

Creating and practicing a home fire escape plan can save lives—yet many households remain unprepared. The following statistics from the NFPA highlight the urgency of escape planning:

According to an NFPA survey, only one-third of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans have an escape plan, but over half have never practiced it.
About 32% of survey respondents estimated they would have at least 6 minutes before a home fire became life-threatening. In reality, the available time is often much less.
Only 8% of people said their first thought upon hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out immediately.

Cooking

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire-related injuries. These statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration and NFPA underscore the importance of safety and attentiveness in the kitchen:

U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 156,600 cooking-related fires between 2007–2011, resulting in 400 civilian deaths, 5,080 injuries, and $853 million in direct property damage.
Two out of every five home fires started in the kitchen.
Unattended cooking was a factor in one-third of reported home cooking fires.
Two-thirds of home cooking fires started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.
Ranges accounted for almost three out of five (57%) home cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16%.
Children under five are at higher risk of non-fire burns from hot food and beverages than from actual cooking fires.
Microwave ovens are a top household product associated with scald burns. In 2012, 2 out of 5 microwave-related ER visits were due to scalding.
Clothing was the first item ignited in less than 1% of home cooking fires—but accounted for 15% of all cooking fire deaths.
55% of people injured in cooking fires were hurt while attempting to fight the fire themselves.
Failure to clean contributed to ignition in 17% of reported oven or rotisserie-related home fires.

Heating

Heating equipment is a leading source of home fires, deaths, and injuries—especially during colder months. Understanding the risks and taking preventive measures is crucial for home safety.

The leading factor contributing to home heating equipment fires is failure to clean, particularly creosote buildup in chimneys.
Portable or fixed space heaters, including wood stoves, were involved in one-third (33%) of home heating fires and accounted for four out of five (81%) heating-related deaths.
Just over 50% of home heating fire deaths were caused by heating equipment placed too close to flammable materials such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses, or bedding.
In most years, heating equipment ranks as the second leading cause of home fires, home fire deaths, and related injuries—just behind cooking.

Smoking Materials

Fires caused by smoking materials remain one of the leading causes of home fire fatalities. Taking precautions when smoking indoors—or avoiding it altogether—can dramatically reduce the risk of deadly incidents.

Smoking materials caused an average of 17,900 home structure fires annually from 2007–2011, resulting in an average of 580 deaths, 1,280 injuries, and $509 million in direct property damage each year.
Bedrooms (40%) and living rooms, family rooms, or dens (35%) were the most common areas where fatal smoking-material fires began.
Sleep was a contributing factor in roughly one-third of these fire deaths.
Alcohol impairment was a factor in 19% of home smoking-related fire fatalities.
Notably, 1 in 4 victims of fatal smoking-material fires was not the smoker who caused the fire.

Electrical

Electrical systems and appliances are a significant cause of house fires. Regular inspections and safe usage can help prevent electrical malfunctions that may lead to devastating fires.

48% of home electrical fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment.
Other leading culprits included washers or dryers, fans, space heaters, air conditioners, water heaters, and kitchen ranges.
Electrical failures or malfunctions caused an annual average of 47,800 home fires from 2007–2011, resulting in approximately 450 deaths and $1.5 billion in property damage.

Candles

While candles create ambiance and comfort, they also present a serious fire hazard when left unattended or placed too close to flammable materials.

From 2007–2011, candles caused 3% of home fires, 4% of home fire deaths, 7% of home fire injuries, and 6% of direct property damage.
An average of 29 home candle fires were reported each day.
36% of candle fires began in the bedroom, even though only 13% of candle users reported burning candles there most frequently.
Nearly 60% of candle fires started when flammable items were too close to the flame.
Falling asleep was a factor in 11% of home candle fires and 37% of the resulting deaths.