• Appliances
• Campus and dorm fires
• Candles
• Carbon monoxide
• Children and fire
• Cooking
• Electrical safety
• Emergency preparedness
• Escape planning
• Fire extinguishers
• Fireworks
• Gas, propane, other fuels
• 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
• High-rise buildings
• Homeland Security
• Home fire sprinklers
• Intentional fires and arson
• Lightning
• Mine fires and explosions
• Natural disasters
• Nightclubs/assembly occupancies
• Nursing homes
• Older adults
• Other occupancies
• People with disabilities
• Seasonal safety
• Smoke alarms
• Smoking material-related fires
• Unintentional injuries
• Vehicle fires
• Wildland fires

 printer version
 email page

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 overview of the annual NFPA heating report Heating equipment fire statistics Why caution is necessary when using space heaters   How to stay safe when heating your home

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February, and trails only cooking equipment in home fires year-round.

NEW! NFPA has produced a new online tool kit that helps everyone understand the safe use of all types of heating equipment.

NEW! A Red Cross/NFPA survey shows most Americans are concerned about home heating costs; many will use alternative heating sources this winter.

Facts & figures

• In 2006, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 64,100 reported U.S. home structure fires, with associated losses of 540 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries, and $943 million in direct property damage.
• In 2006 heating equipment fires accounted for 16% of all reported home fires (second behind cooking) and 21% of home fire deaths.
• Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third (30%) of the home heating fires and three-fourths (73%) of home heating fire deaths in 2006.
• In 2003-2006, the leading factor contributing to home heating fires (28%) and deaths (46%) was heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding. These statistics exclude fires that were confined to a chimney, flue, fuel burner or boiler.

Source: NFPA's “Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment" report by John R. Hall, Jr., January 2009.

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: 1/09

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.