[Archived] Kitchen Fires No. 1 in New Report

October 22, 2012

News Highlights

• The top cause of fires in the home is cooking equipment
• 147,400 or 40 percent of residential fires each year between 2008 and 2010 were caused by home cooking equipment.
• Cooking was also associated with the largest percentage of fire-related injuries, an estimated average 27.4 percent or 3,450, in the home
• Install smoke alarms in your home and check to make sure all smoke alarms are working properly.
• Develop and practice a family fire escape plan

More Information

• http://www.usfa.fema.gov/media/press/2012releases/100912.shtmLink
• http://www.cpsc.gov/library/fire10.pdf

During Fire Prevention Week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Fire Administration provided new statistics on fires in American homes and urged consumers to install smoke alarms in their homes and check to make sure all smoke alarms are working properly. It is also vitally important to develop and practice a family fire escape plan. The top cause of fires in the home is cooking equipment, accounting for an estimated 147,400 or 40 percent of residential fires each year between 2008 and 2010. Cooking was also associated with the largest percentage of fire-related injuries, an estimated average 27.4 percent or 3,450, in the home.

In the City of Alexandria home cooking fires account for the third largest cause of fires between 2008 and 2012; declining as the number 1 cause in 2008.