Across the United States, electrical fires kill roughly 200 people and injure about 1,500 more every year. Some start with a failed electrical system or a defective appliance, yet far more come from everyday habits: appliances that are misused or neglected, wiring put in the wrong way, and circuits or extension cords asked to carry too much. The Fredville Fire Department wants every household to know that a few easy steps can protect lives and property from this kind of fire.
The Problem
In an average year, trouble with household wiring and appliances leads to about 50,000 fires, several hundred deaths and roughly $600 million in damaged property. Wiring inside the home starts about twice as many of these fires as appliances do.
The Facts
More electrical fires happen in December than in any other month. Fire deaths peak in winter, when people spend more time indoors and run more lights, heaters and appliances. Wiring fires most often begin in a bedroom.
Home Appliances
- Appliances built to give off "controlled heat," such as clothes irons, electric blankets and hair dryers, are behind most appliance-related electrical fires. In cities, though, portable heaters are the leading cause.
- Electric ranges are involved in about a quarter of appliance-related home fires. In most of those cases the real culprit is careless or unattended cooking, not a faulty stove.
- Portable heaters are linked to more home fire deaths than any other appliance, while controlled-heat appliances cause the largest number of fire injuries.
Electrical Wiring
In urban areas, defective wiring is to blame for about 40 percent of home electrical fires.
- About one in five wiring fires comes from cords used the wrong way: plugged into overloaded circuits, left in poor repair, or run under rugs and across busy walkways.
Safety Precautions
- Look over your appliances and household wiring on a regular schedule.
- Damaged wires can start a fire. Replace any appliance cord that is frayed, worn or aging right away.
- Use extension cords with care and never plug in more than a cord is rated to handle.
- Keep appliances away from wet floors and countertops, and take extra care with anything electrical in the kitchen or bathroom.
- When you shop for appliances, choose products certified to a recognized safety standard such as UL.
- Do not let children play with or near space heaters, irons, hair dryers or similar devices.
- Give every heater at least three feet of clear space from clothing, curtains and anything else that could catch fire.
- Plug a three-prong appliance only into a three-slot outlet. Never force that plug into a two-slot outlet or cord.
- Avoid overloading wall outlets and extension cords. If a switch feels hot or a light flickers, turn it off at once and have a professional replace it. Add safety covers to outlets where young children live.
- Check power tools often for wear. Replace cracked or frayed cords, and stop using any tool that gives even a mild shock, runs hot, shorts out, smokes or sparks.
- Most important of all, keep a working smoke alarm in your home, which greatly improves your odds of surviving a fire, and walk through your family's escape plan often.
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