Local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 44,210 fires involving heating equipment per year in 2016-2020, accounting for 13% of all reported home fires during this time. These fires resulted in annual losses of 480 civilian deaths, 1,370 civilian injuries, and more than $1 billion in direct property damage.
Social media messages
Use our sample social media posts on heating safety on your Facebook, Twitter on Instagram account.
- Nearly half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January & February. Stay safe: http://ow.ly/W1LuP
- Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Please review @NFPA's safety information: http://ow.ly/W1LuP #WinterSafety
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3ft from heating equip (furnace, fireplace, wood stove, portable heater) http://ow.ly/W1LhI
- Read all of NFPA's heating safety tips & download our free safety tip sheet: http://ow.ly/W1LuP #WinterSafety
- With a few simple safety tips & precautions you can prevent most heating fires from happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS5xGfRO-Tw
- In this video, tips are given in American #SignLanguage for staying safe & warm while heating your home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCtnLC6-JPg
- Have heating equipment & chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. http://ow.ly/W266z #WinterSafety
- Give space heaters space! They account for 9 out of 10 home heating fire deaths: http://ow.ly/W279j #WinterSafety
- Everyone's favorite guy, Dan Doofus, teaches us some important safety lessons about heating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BqR4WNd3lA
- The @NFPA’s easy to read safety tip sheet on heating is available in 9 additional languages! http://ow.ly/W28mE #Farsi #Chinese #Arabic
Dan Doofus learns some important safety lessons about home heating.
Heating fire facts
Based on 2016-2020 annual averages:
- Space heaters were the type of heating equipment responsible for the largest shares of losses in home heating equipment fires, accounting for one-third of the fires, but nearly nine out of ten deaths and four out of five of the injuries in home fires caused by heating equipment.
- Fires originating in a kitchen or cooking area accounted for the largest share of home heating fires (17%).
- While the larger (non-confined) fires involving fireplaces or chimneys were involved in fewer than one in ten fires caused by heating equipment (7%), they caused just over one-fifth of the direct property damage (22%).
- Nearly half of the heating equipment fires (46%) occurred in the three-month period from December through February.
Source: NFPA Applied Research
In this presentation, tips are given in American sign language for staying safe and warm while heating the home.