
Cooking, heating leading causes of home fires ─ follow these safety tips
This is the time of year when most home fires occur, and 2025 is no different. The American Red Cross has responded to almost 6,000 home fires since the start of the year, helping thousands of people affected by a fire in their home.
January’s weather has been brutal – extreme cold and snow covering much of the country, even in the Deep South where it rarely snows. The combination of colder and shorter days leads people to spend more time indoors, staying warm and cooking more meals. This puts the two leading causes of home fires into play ─ cooking and heating.
COOKING, HEATING BIGGEST CULPRITS Cooking is the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in your home, and leaving your cooking unattended causes most kitchen fires.
Heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires. Nearly half of American families use alternative heating sources to stay warm. Heating equipment, wood stoves and portable space heaters are blamed for 74% of fire-related deaths.
COOKING SAFETY TIPS Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from cooking areas.
Keep anything that can catch on fire — potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging and towels or curtains — away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance that generates heat.
Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.
Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to make sure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.
HOME HEATING SAFETY Have furnaces, chimneys, fireplaces, wood and coal stoves inspected and cleaned annually.
If using a space heater, look for a model that shuts off automatically if the heater falls over. Place the heater on a level, hard and nonflammable surface in the home.
Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves or fireplaces.
Portable heaters and fireplaces should never be left unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
Keep fire in your fireplace by using a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES Did you know that if a fire starts in your home you may have as little as two minutes to escape? During a fire, early warning from a working smoke alarm plus a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives.
Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, and inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it. Also, check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years old or older, they need to be replaced because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
In 2014, the Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign to help educate people about home fire safety and install free smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires. Since then, the effort has helped save 2,266 lives, volunteers and partners have installed 2.6 million free smoke alarms, helping to make more than 1.1 million homes safer across the country. You can learn more here.
In addition to smoke alarms, every household should develop a fire escape plan. To create your home fire escape plan, include at least two ways to exit every room in your home. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or a landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet. Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency. Practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
Take a class and be ready to respond if an emergency strikes.