9 most common causes of home fires

Find out how you can prevent house fires by isolating the most common sources and taking the right precautions.

A house fire can destroy your home and put your life plans on the back burner while you take the time to pick yourself up again.

Many house fires are caused by accidents with cooking equipment. These range from grease fires to leaving your stove on unattended.

• Be careful when cooking with large amounts of oil or grease at high temperatures and make sure you don’t leave the stove unattended as food, oven mitts, or other tools and supplies could go up in flames if left unattended on a warm element or lit burner.

• Don’t leave candles unattended.

Pets and children can knock them over easily and set the place ablaze.

• Make sure you keep candles on a flat and stable surface to avoid accidents and keep them away from flammable objects like curtains.

Many electrical fires start with the equipment we plug into outlets.

• Make sure that your wires aren’t frayed and that your outlets are never overloaded with devices.

• Always be careful when placing objects on or near heaters – especially things that could burn or melt.

Remember that heaters get considerably hotter than the rest of the room in the winter. Even shoes and socks set to dry on a conventional heater can cause a house fire.

• If you have a fireplace, get it cleaned every year whether you use it or not.

• Avoid accidental fires by making sure your kids don’t have easy access to lighters and matches and understand fire safety.

• Keep these stored in a cool and well-ventilated area.
• Never place them next to heaters or anywhere prone to static electricity.

Many home fires start when a person falls asleep with a cigarette in hand or when the embers from a butt fall on a flammable surface.

• Prevent accidents by avoiding smoking when tired and ensuring the sides of your ashtrays are high enough to keep cigarette butts from falling out.

• If your dryer vent is not properly set up and if you don’t take care of emptying out the lint-trap, your dryer could cause a home fire. Lint is extremely flammable and improper ventilation will make your dryer overheat – a deadly combination.

Your tree dries as it sits in your house. This makes it more flammable.

• Keep it watered and avoid leaving the lights on when you’re not around. By doing this, you’ll keep your lights from overheating and you'll be there to react quickly should anything happen.