Children under five and adults over 65 are more than twice as likely to die in a home fire than the rest of the US population.
Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Two out of three cooking fires start with the range or stove.
Heating fires are the second leading cause of home fires.
Smoking is the leading cause of home fire deaths.
In 2005, 74 percent of home fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Sprinklers and smoke alarms together cut your risk of dying in a home fire by 82% in relation to having neither. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside of bedrooms if you sleep with your doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year or as soon as you hear a low-battery warning which usually sounds like a “chirping” noise.
Fixed and portable space heaters, including wood stoves, are involved in 74 percent of fire-related deaths.
Just over half of child-playing fires in the home start in a bedroom, and bedding material is most often the first item ignited.
Keep matches, lighters, and other ignitable substances in a secured location out of the reach of children, and only use lighters with child-resistant features.
About two out of every three child-playing fires – and three out of every four associated deaths and injuries – involve matches or lighters.