Heating is a major cause of home fires in the United States, second only to cooking fires. Portable space heaters responsible for vast majority of home heating fire deaths.
Another strong cold front is headed our way this weekend, increasing the risk of home heating fires. The influx of arctic air will have many residents looking for alternative ways to heat their homes. The winter months are the peak time for home fires nationwide and Texas is no exception.
On average, more than 3,000 Americans lose their lives in home fires and many more thousands are injured every year. The number one thing you can do to protect your family during the next arctic blast is to make sure your home has working smoke alarms and your home heating systems are safe to use.
Home heating fires often occur at the worst possible time, breaking out in the middle of the night while our families are asleep. Space heaters are especially deadly, accounting for 4 out of every 5 home heating fire deaths.
The number one safety recommendation is to first and foremost have working smoke alarms throughout the home, especially in all sleeping areas. Having working smoke alarms dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire.
According to NFPA’s latest heating equipment statistics, there was an annual average of 37,365 home heating fires from 2020 to 2024, accounting for 11 percent of all reported home fires during this time, and these fires resulted in estimated annual 417 civilian deaths, 1,260 civilian injuries, and $1.2 billion in property damages.