About $1.3 billion in property damage, 440 deaths, and 1,250 injuries of civilians (non-firefighters) stemmed from home fires involving electrical failure or malfunction each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Electrical distribution equipment, lighting, and power transfer equipment accounted for half of these home fires.
Last March, the NFPA published a research report titled, “Home Electrical Fires,” to take a deeper dive into what causes home fires and how to prevent them. The research also examined where the fires typically start within a home and which items are first ignited. For example, the report advised homeowners and contractors to be aware of hidden electrical hazards such as electrical distribution and lighting equipment installed close to combustible structural elements like insulation or framing.
By analyzing the data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System and the NFPA’s annual survey of fire departments, the author also found that most of the home electrical fires that cause civilian injuries happen between midnight and 4 a.m. The peak months for these fires are from November through March.
To read the report about home electrical fires, visit the NFPA website. To see an archived list of NFPA’s past research reports, go to NFPA’s archive page. The research hub for electrical reports also includes a list of other resources on everything from electrical shock drowning to fatal electrical injuries at work.
Fischbach is a freelance writer based in Overland Park, Kan. She can be reached at [email protected].
