House fires are, and continue to be, a leading cause of death and property loss across the country. Understanding the most common causes of house fires can help prevent the destruction of buildings and property and, ultimately, save lives.
No single cause leads to accidental fires. Speaking broadly, fires are often the result of unintentional negligence, irresponsible behavior, or product or technology defects. Sometimes, they are unavoidable because they can be caused by an “act of God” such as a lightning strike.
In some ways, all we can do is prepare the best we can for any circumstances. The first step toward this preparation is a knowledge of what causes fires.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has identified several of the most common causes of house fires. These include the following.
Any device that generates heat (stoves, clothes dryers, heaters) or heats up with extended use (computers, fans) is a potential fire hazard. Cooking vessels that are left unattended are a frequent cause of avoidable fires.
Every candle comes with a warning: “a burning candle should never be left unattended.” Yet, many candles are often forgotten and can burn out of control. Candle fires are most likely to occur on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Christmas Eve.
Candles aren’t alone in causing tragic fires during the winter holiday season. Christmas tree lights and other lit decorations are obvious culprits. Live trees that are not watered properly and left to dry out are an easy target for incineration by hot lights.
Any device that uses electrical power has the potential to start a fire, and overheated lighting equipment comes in at the top of the list. Shoddy electrical work within a home — poorly connected circuits, loose wires, improper grounding — is also a danger often unknown to homeowners.
Among the most common causes of house fires is the consequence of negligent smoking habits. People sometimes fall asleep while smoking. In doing so, they can set their bed, chair or couch on fire, which can easily result in a fatality. Another avoidable hazard is discarding still-hot ashes into a trash can where they can ignite.
Home fires can easily be caused by sources of natural gas or propane gas. An errant spark combined with a small leak can create a combustible situation. Improperly mixed household chemicals can also trigger combustion, which is why it’s important to conduct such activity outside the home setting.
Lightning fires most commonly occur during the summer months when afternoon and early evening storms are at their peak. Homes in heavily wooded areas are extra vulnerable to lightning strikes that can set the surrounding landscape on fire.
Small children unknowingly playing with fire or matches inside the home are one of the leading causes of house fires. Older kids who know what fire can do — and just want to see what happens — are equally dangerous. Though there may be no way to curb their curiosity entirely, it’s possible to mitigate potential disaster by talking to children about how destructive careless behavior around fire may be.
This is a larger issue in the summer than at any other time. A barbecue grill can lead to uncontrolled flame in a few different ways, such as proximity to combustibles like dry grass, or because of a gas leak. Decrease the likelihood of these accidents by checking for gas leaks prior to firing up the grill, or
by cooking atop stone or some other flame-immune material — and always keep a watchful eye on an operating grill.
Sometimes it can’t be helped. We do everything correctly, follow all the rules and wisdom, and fire still can be notoriously hard to control. One of the most common causes of house fires are, of course, that we allow fires in our homes at all. If managed responsibly, this usually isn’t an issue, but a single stray ember from an active flame can catch a carpet aflame, for example.
Be mindful around an indoor fireplace, and never leave it unattended. This time could be the time when a log breaks in such a way that sends embers flying.
There is no telling when and where a fire might occur, though there are ways to prepare for its eventual inevitability. Additionally, fires don’t only occur in households. Fires in office buildings and other workplaces can be just as devastating — maybe even more so, because larger numbers of people tend to occupy work environments.
Learn to identify and analyze potential fire hazards, health and safety infractions and risks with Dray Fire Protection Services Short Course Training.
