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When it comes to fire safety, people generally fall into one of two groups: those who are always alert to fire hazards in their homes and any building they enter, immediately devising an escape plan for emergencies, and those who have a basic understanding of how fires ignite and spread but don't dwell on it much.
No matter where you stand on the fire safety spectrum, here’s a quick refresher on some of the most common causes of house fires—some of which might not even be on your radar.
The Most Common, Yet Overlooked Triggers of House Fires
In October 2021, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released a report detailing home structure fires across the United States from 2015 to 2019. The report provided data on the top five most frequent causes of house fires, categorized as follows, in descending order:
Cooking (responsible for 49% of house fires)
Heating equipment (14%)
Electrical distribution and lighting systems (9%)
Intentional (7%)
Smoking materials (5%)
While these categories may seem expected, within each category there are specific fire-starting scenarios that often go unnoticed or neglected. Here are a few examples:
Leaving food unattended while cooking
Kitchen fires occur with alarming frequency, partly because many don’t realize how little it takes for one to start. Between 2014 and 2018, the NFPA found that the majority of cooking fires were caused by leaving food unattended, placing combustibles too close to cooking appliances, or equipment being unintentionally left on without being turned off.
“It only takes a moment for that food to catch fire, and you have a window of approximately 30 to 45 seconds before the fire is out of your control,” Michael Kozo, fire safety captain at the New York City Fire Department, recently shared with Consumer Reports. “You must remain in the kitchen, closely monitoring the situation at all times.”
Extension cords and power strips
As outlined in a previous article explaining the differences between power strips, surge protectors, and extension cords, each has distinct functions and capacities. The good news, according to the NFPA’s report, is that cords or plugs were responsible for only 1% of house fires between 2015 and 2019. The bad news is that they accounted for 7% of fire-related fatalities.
The main issue? The overuse or incorrect use of extension cords. This typically happens when appliances that either heat or cool (such as refrigerators, space heaters, air conditioning units, toasters, etc.) are plugged into extension cords or power strips instead of directly into a wall outlet.
As Kozo told Consumer Reports, running these appliances on an extension cord increases the risk of overloading the cord’s electrical capacity, causing it to overheat and potentially ignite a fire. He advises using extension cords only for temporarily powering low-voltage devices like phone chargers or TVs.
Lithium-ion batteries
While the NFPA report didn’t include specific data on lithium-ion batteries, Kozo points out that these batteries have been responsible for an increasing number of fires in recent years. This is because a defective lithium-ion battery, such as one used in electric bikes or scooters, can overheat, causing a chemical reaction that may lead to a fire.
To prevent such incidents, Kozo advises using only the original charger that came with your bike or scooter (or an official replacement from the manufacturer) rather than a generic one purchased online.
Additionally, charge it only for the recommended duration—leaving it plugged in for longer doesn’t improve anything. Although it may be tempting to charge overnight, Kozo cautions against this, as it could result in the battery overheating. Lastly, if possible, charge your electric bikes and scooters outdoors.
