Home Fire Facts

5/13/2020 (Permalink)

• Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in home fires by half. 
• African Americans tend to be disproportionately affected by home fires. On average they account for 25% of all fire deaths even though they represent less than 13% of the population. 
• Most home heating fires are caused by heating equipment that is located too close to things that can easily burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses, or bedding.
• Portable space heaters were involved in one-third of all home heating fires and four out of every five home heating deaths.
• Nearly 50% of all electrical fires involve malfunctioning or faulty electrical distribution equipment (power strips) or lighting fixtures. 
• Nearly two-thirds of all fire deaths happen in homes that have no smoke alarms or malfunctioning units.
• Approximately 80% of home fire deaths are related to asphyxiation caused by breathing in poisonous smoke.
• Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire related injuries, followed closely by home heating equipment. Smoking is the leading cause of all home fire deaths. 
• Two out of every five home fires start in the kitchen. 
• On average, 57% of child fire deaths affect children ages 4 or younger. For Children younger than 15, exposure to smoke and fire is the third leading cause of death after transportation accidents and drowning.

Source: https://www.preparecenter.org/th/topics/house-fire