New Zealand Fire Service
The New Zealand Fire Service reports in a typical year kitchen fires are the leading cause of home fires. Unattended cooking causes more fires and deaths than any other cause of fire. Each year over 20,000 fires are attended by the Fire Service, including nearly 5,000 house fires. Typically there are 38 fire deaths, 20 of which are the result of “accidental house fires”.
United States of America
Cooking fires
SUNDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDayNews) — Cooking fires are still the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injures in the United States, says a new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) study. The report found that cooking was responsible for 117,100 home fires, which resulted in 370 deaths, 4,290 injuries and $453 million in property damage. Cooking fires often occur when people leave cooking food unattended. Most of these fires start within the first 15 minutes of cooking.
Clothes dryers
The National Fire Protection Association reports approximately 14,100 fires per year that are caused by improperly venting a dryer or careless maintenance procedures.
United Kingdom
Kitchen Fires
Government statistics reveal that of 38,000 fires that begin in the kitchen each year, 52% are caused by misuse of equipment. Figures released by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) also show that over 4,000 people are killed or injured each year because they do not operate their appliances correctly.
- 49% of kitchen fires start at evening meal times.
- 64% involve frying
- 43% result from unattended cooking. E.g. Having a ‘few drinks’, falling asleep while the stove is on (Him), answering the phone (Her).
- 29% of all building fires start in the kitchen.
- 7% of all kitchen fires are a result of electrical faults.