As the temperatures continue to fall across the area, homes will be warmed by a variety of methods, from fire places and wood stoves to space heaters to HVAC systems.

Did you know that 11 percent of all reported home fires from 2020 to 2024 were due to heating equipment, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Heating equipment was also one of the leading causes of home fire deaths, as these fires resulted in an estimated 417 deaths annually.

The NFPA Research Division compiled the following statistics, based on 2020-2024 annual averages:

• Space heaters and heating stoves were the type of heating equipment responsible for the largest shares of losses in home heating equipment fires, accounting for nearly half (47%) of the fires, but over seven out of ten deaths (73%) and seven out of ten (70%) 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 (19%).
• While the larger (non-confined) fires involving fireplaces or chimneys were involved in fewer than one in ten fires caused by heating equipment (8%), they caused just over one-fourth of the direct property damage (26%).
• Nearly half of the heating equipment fires (46%) occurred in the three-month period from December through February.

Check out the fliers below to learn some safety tips for various ways of heating your home.