5 Common Causes of House Fires (and 5 Ways to Prevent Them)

Your home isn't just a place to live — it's your most significant investment. Protecting it is paramount. 

Fire safety is an essential part of homeownership. You can prevent some of the most common types of house fires from ever starting, keeping your investment secure. Below, we'll explore the most frequent causes of house fires.

Before jumping into the article, watch the video below. It covers how to escape a fire should one ever occur in your home:

1. Careless Cooking

Cooking mishaps like leaving food unattended on the stove are a leading cause of house fires. Other cooking risks include built-up grease, dangling sleeves, and placing flammable items too close to the range.Help prevent cooking fires by staying alert, clearing the cooking area of combustibles, and maintaining your cooking appliances properly. Keep a multipurpose fire extinguisher in your kitchen. 

2. Harmful Heating

Devices like space heaters are meant to keep you warm but can pose serious fire risks if used improperly. Heaters placed too close to drapes, furniture, or bedding are especially dangerous. Prevent heating unit fires by allowing ample clearance around them, choosing units with auto shutoff, and always unplugging them when not in use. Also, have fireplaces and wood stoves inspected annually.

3. Perilous Power

Malfunctioning electrical wiring and overloaded outlets cause countless home fires every year. Faulty fixtures, frayed cords, and inappropriate wattage light bulbs also contribute to electrical fires.

You can protect your home by avoiding overloading outlets, upgrading old wiring, checking for hot outlets, and using surge protectors. Unplug small appliances when not in use.

4. Combustible Candles

Candles set the mood for romantic dinners and provide necessary light during power outages, but their open flames bring some risk. Enjoy candles safely by keeping them away from combustible materials, never leaving them unattended, and properly extinguishing them after use. Consider safer alternatives, such as candles with LED lights.

5. Smoldering Smokes

Carelessly discarded cigarettes and other smoking materials ignite thousands of deadly house fires annually. Smokers can accidentally drop lit cigarettes onto upholstered furniture or bedding, where a fire can smolder undetected. 

Prevent smoking-related fires by using sturdy, deep ashtrays, never smoking in bed, storing tobacco products safely out of children's reach, and completely extinguishing every cigarette.

So, Is House Fire Prevention Achievable?

Absolutely. House fires cause thousands of deaths and even more injuries every year in the United States. They also result in billions of dollars worth of property damage annually.

The impact of a house fire is far more than just physical damage. Survivors face emotional trauma, anxiety, displacement from their homes, and loss of irreplaceable possessions. The financial toll of replacing your home's structure and contents can easily run into the six figures.

Compared to dealing with the devastating effects of a house fire, taking simple preventive measures requires little time and effort. Stay alert while cooking, keep flammables away from ignition sources, and have working smoke detectors.

Be vigilant and guard against preventable fires. Follow the tips we've outlined here to keep your home and loved ones protected. 

Learn More About Fire and Gas Safety