• Dryers & washing machines
• Portable generators
• Candles
• Cooking
• Electrical
• Heating
• Keeping Your Community Safe and Warm
• More Ways to Keep Your Community Safe and Warm
• Heating safety tips
• Heating reports and statistics
• Tips on saving energy
• Smoking

Heating

Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable heater.   Only use heating equipment that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.   Never use your oven for heating.   See all safety tips   AUDIO Lorraine Carli, NFPA Vice President of Communications, talks about home heating safety:   An introduction to NFPA's home heating report   NFPA home heating survey results   Leading factors contributing to home heating related fires?   The issues of space heaters?   Safety tips for home heating

In 2007, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 66,400 reported U.S. home structure fires, with associated losses of 580 civilian deaths, 1,850 civilian injuries, and $608 million in direct property damage.  These fires accounted for 17% of all reported home fires.

Facts & figures

Based on 2003-2007 annual averages:

• Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third (32%) of home heating fires and over three-fourths (79%) of home heating fire deaths. 
• The leading factor contributing to home heating fires (25%) was failure to clean, principally creosote from solid-fueled heating equipment, primarily chimneys.
• Placing things that can burn too close to heating equipment or placing heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding, was the leading factor contributing to ignition in fatal home heating fires and accounted for close to half (46%) of home heating fire deaths.
• Half (49%) of all home heating fires occurred in December, January and February.

Source: NFPA's “Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment" report by John R. Hall, Jr., January 2010.

Also see: Fact sheet on home heating fires. (PDF, 61 KB)

Related: NFPA fact sheet on carbon monoxide poisoning.

NFPA does not test, label or approve any products.
Updated: 1/10

In this Section:

Keeping Your Community Safe and Warm An education program for fire- and life-safe professionals. Heating reports and statistics Reports and other research on heating.

More Ways to Keep Your Community Safe and Warm The second program on heating for fire- and life safety professionals. Tips on saving energy Here are some easy things you can do.

Heating safety tips What your family needs to know about heating safety.