In the event that you ever suffer through a house fire, we’re here to help you recover. But we’d rather our potential future clients never have to face this danger or endure such a devastating loss. Since education equals prevention, we wanted to share some information on the most common sources of house fires.

Over 350,000 house fires occur in the United States each year, including everything from a small fires that are quickly extinguished to large fires that destroy the entire home. In addition to installing smoke detectors in your home and keeping a few fire extinguishers handy, knowing the most common sources of house fires could help you prevent them. According to national statistics, the following causes are most often cited in house fires:

  • Kitchen fires, such as grease fires, improper use of appliances such as toasters, or even simple events like towels left near open flames
  • Christmas trees, which can dry out when not watered regularly, and become kindling for any nearby spark or flame
  • Electrical fires, from faulty or old wiring, overloading sockets, and use appliances incorrectly
  • Candles, because no matter how pretty they are or good they smell, they are still an open flame that must be used carefully
  • Space heaters, when placed too close to bedding, curtains, laundry piles, etc
  • Wildfires, particularly in dry areas like Southern California that endure these events on a regular basis

We can’t always prevent all of the bad things that can happen in life. But with education and a bit of attention to safety details, we can drastically lower our odds of experiencing a fire in the home. Schedule a time to make a list of safety rules and procedures, and go through your house to double check that you’ve removed any common fire risks. Then educate your family on topics like safe use of appliances and electrical outlets, placement of space heaters, and any other risks that you’ve identified.

And of course, change the batteries in your smoke detectors regularly. In most cases in which a family survives a house fire, it’s because they received warning in time to escape the house.