The Most Common, Yet Overlooked Causes of Home Fires

Most people fall into one of two categories when it comes to fire safety, those who are constantly concerned about fire hazard in their own home and any other buildings they enter, and those with an optimal escape path in the event of an emergency

There are some of the most common causes of house fires that aren't on your radar.

The most common, but overlooked causes of house fires

A report on home structure fires in the United States was published in October of 2021. The top five most common causes of house fires were included. They are in chronological order.

1. Cooking (behind 49% of house fires)
2. Heating equipment (14%)

1. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment (9%)
2. Intentional (7%)
3. Smoking materials (5%)

There are more specific ways that fires start within each of the categories. There are a number of examples.

Walking away while food is still cooking

Many people don't realize that it doesn't take a lot to start a kitchen fire. The majority of cooking fires were caused by unattended cooking, or equipment that was unintentionally turned on but not turned off, according to a study by the National Fire Protection Association.

The captain of fire safety at the New York City Fire Department told Consumer Reports that it only takes a second for that food to light up. You have to be in the kitchen all the time.

Extension cords and power strips

The differences between power strips, surge protectors, and extension cords are not the same. According to the report, cords or plugs were involved in only 1% of house fires over the last three years. The good news is that they had a small part in the deaths.

What's the main culprit? Extension cords can be used too much. It is usually a case of an appliance being plugged into an extension cord or power strip rather than into a wall outlet.

According to Consumer Reports, running these appliances on an extension cord increases the risk of overloading the cord, which could lead to a fire. He doesn't recommend using extension cords for long-term use, like plugging in a TV or charging a phone.

Lithium-ion batteries

The number of fires caused by Li-ion batteries has increased over the past several years. If the battery in an electric bike and electric scooter is faulty it can cause a fire.

To prevent that from happening, you should only use the battery charger that came with your bike or scooter, or a replacement from the company.

It's not a good idea to leave it charging longer than the recommended amount of time. It is tempting to let it charge overnight, but it could cause the battery to get hot. Electric scooters and bikes can be charged outside.