The most common and overlooked cause of house fires

When it comes to fire safety, most people tend to fall into one of two categories: People who are constantly worried about fire hazards in their homes or other buildings they enter (at this point they instantly construct the optimal escape route in their minds). emergency events), and a general understanding of how fires start and spread, but who tend not to spend much time thinking about it.

Regardless of where you fall on the fire anxiety spectrum, here’s a quick review of some of the most common causes of home fires. This includes things that aren’t necessarily on your radar.

The most common but overlooked cause of house fires

In October 2021, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Issues Report Data on US residential structure fires from 2015 to 2019. Among other data points, the top five most common causes of house fires are included by category. In descending order, they are:

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

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

These categories shouldn’t come as a surprise, but each has a more specific way fires start that are often overlooked or ignored.. Here are some examples:

leave while the food is still cooking

One reason kitchen fires occur with such regularity is that many people don’t realize that it doesn’t take long for a fire to start. When the NFPA investigated exactly what caused cooking fires to ignite from 2014 to 2018, they found that unattended cooking was responsible for the majority. Combustible materials placed near cookware or appliances that are unintentionally turned on not turned off.

“It takes only 1 second for the food to catch fire, and about 30 to 45 seconds for the fire to spin out of control,” said Michael Kozo, Fire Safety Officer for the New York City Fire Department. said. recently told Consumer Reports“So you have to be in the kitchen and watch all the time.”

Extension cords and power strips

as explained in previous article Analyzing the differences between power strips, surge protectors, and extension cords Not all have the same features or capabilities. good news, According to the NFPA reportshows that only 1% of home fires between 2015 and 2019 involved cords and plugs. 7% of deaths.

Main culprit? Abuse or misuse of extension cords. Often that is the case for appliances that heat or cool (i.e. refrigerators, space heaters, air conditioning units, toasters).etc.) is plugged into Use extension cords or power strips instead of connecting directly to a wall outlet.

As Kozo explained to Consumer ReportsRunning these appliances with extension cords overloads the cord’s electrical capacity, increasing the risk of the cord overheating and causing a fire. He recommends using extension cords only for temporary use of low-voltage devices, such as charging mobile phones or connecting power plugs. tv set.

lithium ion battery

The NFPA report did not include specific data on lithium-ion batteries, Kozo says The number of fires has increased in the last few years. This is because a defective lithium-ion battery that powers an e-bike or e-scooter can overheat, causing a chemical reaction and possibly a fire.

To prevent that, Kozo recommends only using the battery charger that came with your bike or scooter (or a replacement from the company) instead of the common ones found online.

Also, charge only for the recommended time. This does not mean that it is better to charge for a long time. It’s tempting to charge overnight, but Kozo points out that it’s not a good idea because it can overheat the battery. please give me.