Top Causes of Indianapolis House Fires

8/24/2016 (Permalink)

Cooking is the number one cause of house fires.

Below you will find some of the top causes of house fires in the Indianapolis area. Many of these causes can greatly be reduced by following a few common sense tips that we point out below.

1. Arson and Intentional Fires

According to the NFPA, around 282,600 intentional fires occurred between 2007-2011. Homes and other structures accounted for 18% of these fires. According to the data, most home arson fires occur between 3PM and midnight. Bedrooms are where most of the fires originated.

2. Candle Fires

Candles accounted for 9,300 home fires between 2009-2013 or 3% of all house fires. These fires resulted in 86 deaths, 827 injuries and over $374 million in damage. Candle fires occur most often on Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. To reduce the risk of a fire from candles:

• Don't use candles in bedrooms or areas where you may fall asleep.
• Never leave a candle burning unattended.
• Keep candles at least a foot away from anything that can catch fire.

3. Cooking Fires

Cooking is the number one cause of house fires and injuries. Most fires resulted from the cook leaving or being distracted from what they are cooking. Over 66% of cooking fires started with the food and cooking ingredients. This could be cooking oil catching fire or cookies or other food igniting from being overcooked. Frying foods with oil was the biggest cause of cooking fires. The number one day that cooking fires occurred was Thanksgiving. To reduce the risk of cooking fires, never leave any cooking unattended. Be careful when using oils not to splash or spill them onto the cooking surface. If a fire does occur, have a working extinguisher in the kitchen to quickly put out any small cooking fires.

4. Electrical Fires

Between 2007 and 2011, 47,820 home fires were the result of an electrical failure or malfunction. Electrical fires resulted in 455 deaths, 1,518 injuries, and $1.5 billion in damage. Bedrooms, attics, and kitchens were the leading areas of a home where the fires started. While lightning accounted for almost half of all electrical home fires, appliances like washers and dryers were the other major cause of electrical fires. To reduce the risk of electrical fires:

• Replace any damaged electrical cords.
• Don't run extension cords under carpet or in high traffic areas.
• Make sure your outlets have tamper-resistant covers if you have small children.

5. Heating Fires

There were 56,000 home heating equipment fires between 2009 and 2013. Half of them occurred during the months of December, January, and February. These fires resulted in 470 deaths, 1,490 injuries, and over $1 billion in damage. To reduce the risk of home heating equipment fires, keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from fireplaces, space heaters, wood stoves, furnaces and other home heating sources. Never leave a space heater unattended as they account for the majority of all home heating equipment fires. If you use a fireplace to heat your home, make sure you clean the chimney regularly to prevent build up of creosote.

Reduce the Risks

As you can see, there are many causes of house fires. While the risk of arson can't necessarily be reduced, the other factors can. The most important factor in reducing household fires is to always be aware of potential causes of fires. If you are cooking, pay attention and never leave the kitchen unattended. If you use candles, blow them out when you leave the room. If you use a space heater, don't leave it running unattended and keep any combustibles away from it. Simply being aware of fire risks can go a great way to reducing the potential for a house fire.