Meal times are the most cherished part of the day for many people, but preparing a meal also has its risks. Cooking has long been the most common cause of fires in American homes, with kitchen fires accounting for half of all home fires – nearly 173,000 per year. These fires cause 21% of all home fire deaths, 44% of all home fire injuries and cause $1.2 billion in property damage each year. These numbers don’t even consider the added emotional toll of losing treasured possessions or having to rebuild your life if your home is destroyed. With many of us now spending more time cooking meals in our homes, these numbers have the potential to increase. The good news is that by learning how to prevent kitchen fires, you can significantly reduce your risk.
Cooking meals at home can be healthy, cost-effective, and a great way for households to connect with each other. By making sure you use cooking appliances as intended and keeping your attention focused on what you’re cooking, you can also keep yourself and your home safe from fire danger.
A variety of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistical and research reports about home or residential property fires during the period 2008 – 2020 were referenced in the writing of this article.
For more home fire safety information, download our free comprehensive guide Fire Sense: A Smart Way to Prevent, Detect and Escape Home Fires.
Good article but a fire extinguisher should be mentioned
Very good article! But I think you should have mentioned some things like : keep a fire extinguisher near each door, and in kitchen, have baking soda or other item for grease fires, etc. Then get out if the fire is to large for these solutions.
While it’s the obvious, it never hurts to refresh. We will buy a ladder for the bedroom window. Our housewarming gift will now be a fire extinguisher and this article.
Seems like common since. Pay attention to what you are doing.
Thank you.
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