Home fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines

Report: NFPA's "Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines"
Author: Richard Campbell
Issued: March 2017

Report and fact sheet

Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines

In recent years, the annual number of home fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines reported to U.S. fire departments has fluctuated from year to year, after falling in the early 1980s and then leveling off in the 1990s.

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Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines fact sheet*

This printable fact sheet includes quick stats from the Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines report.

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Report highlights

• In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.
• These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.
• The vast majority of fires (92%) involved clothes dryers.
• The leading items first ignited in dryer fires were dust, fiber or lint (26% of total) and clothing (26%), while items first ignited in washing machine fires were part of the appliance itself, including wire or cable insulation (26%), appliance housing or casing (24%), and drive belt (11%).

Related information

• Home Dryer Fires, June 2020 (PDF)

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