Home heating fires remain a measurable U.S. residential-building hazard. The available estimates cover reported fires, civilian deaths and injuries, property loss, seasonal timing, equipment patterns and portable-heater incidents, with different sources and definitions that matter when comparing the numbers.
Key Home Heating Fire Statistics
The most broadly useful figures from the available U.S. evidence are:
- 27,900 estimated residential-building heating fires in 2023 were reported in the United States.
- 115 estimated civilian deaths from residential-building heating fires in 2023 occurred in the United States.
- 525 estimated civilian injuries from residential-building heating fires in 2023 occurred in U.S. residential buildings.
- $488.0 million in estimated property loss in 2023 dollars was associated with U.S. residential-building heating fires in 2023.
- 34,200 residential-building heating fires per year on average were estimated for the United States during 2017–2019.
- 20% of annual residential-building heating fires occurred in January during 2017–2019.
- 5–9 p.m. was the peak period for residential-building heating fires in the United States during 2017–2019, with the highest peak from 6–8 p.m.
- 77% of residential-building heating fires were confined fires involving chimneys, flues or fuel burners during 2017–2019.
- Heating represented 9% of all residential-building fires and ranked as the second leading cause during 2017–2019.
- 27% of nonconfined residential-building heating fires involved heat sources too close to combustibles during 2017–2019.
- 56% of nonconfined heating fires in occupied residential buildings had smoke alarms present during 2017–2019.
- 165 civilian deaths per year on average were attributed to U.S. residential-building heating fires during 2017–2019.
- 600 civilian injuries per year on average were attributed to U.S. residential-building heating fires during 2017–2019.
- $367 million in property loss per year on average was estimated from U.S. residential-building heating fires during 2017–2019.
- 1,700 portable-heater fires per year on average occurred in U.S. residential settings during 2017–2019.
- 70 deaths per year on average from portable-heater fires occurred in U.S. residential settings during 2017–2019.
- 41% of fatal home heating fires involved portable heaters in the United States during 2017–2019.
- 4,400 electric-heater fires per year on average were estimated in U.S. residential settings during the historical 1999–2002 period.
Contents
- Home heating fire trends
- Deaths and injuries
- Property losses
- Timing and location
- Causes and equipment
- Portable heaters
Home Heating Fire Statistics: National Scale and Trends
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reports national estimates for residential-building heating fires from 2014 through 2023. These are fire-department reporting estimates, not a census of every fire, and the series covers residential buildings rather than a single heating product.
| Year | Estimated fires | Geography and measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 47,600 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2015 | 41,200 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2016 | 35,100 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2017 | 33,800 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2018 | 35,700 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2019 | 33,100 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2020 | 33,000 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2021 | 32,200 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2022 | 34,800 | U.S. residential buildings |
| 2023 | 27,900 | U.S. residential buildings |
Source: Residential Building Heating Fire Trends (2014-2023), USFA national estimates.
The highest reported estimate in this series was 47,600 fires in 2014. The 2023 estimate was 27,900 residential-building heating fires, while 2017–2019 averaged 34,200 fires per year according to a separate USFA topical report.
The term heating fire includes central heating units, fixed or portable local heating units, fireplaces, heating stoves, chimneys and water heaters. Portable-heater figures therefore describe a narrower category and should not be treated as the whole heating-fire total.
Home Heating Fire Deaths and Injuries Over Time
USFA estimates show that the human consequences varied year to year alongside the number of fires. The figures below are civilian losses in U.S. residential buildings.
| Year | Estimated deaths | Estimated injuries |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 245 | 850 |
| 2015 | 165 | 575 |
| 2016 | 165 | 500 |
| 2017 | 195 | 575 |
| 2018 | 155 | 575 |
| 2019 | 145 | 675 |
| 2020 | 125 | 575 |
| 2021 | 190 | 625 |
| 2022 | 110 | 650 |
| 2023 | 115 | 525 |
Source: Residential Building Heating Fire Trends (2014-2023), USFA estimates.
The 2014 estimate included 245 civilian deaths and 850 civilian injuries. In 2023, the corresponding estimates were 115 deaths and 525 injuries, showing why a fire-count trend should not be used as a substitute for outcome data.
For the 2017–2019 period, the USFA topical report estimated an annual average of 165 civilian deaths and 600 civilian injuries from heating fires in U.S. residential buildings. Those averages describe civilian losses only and are not forecasts.
Home Heating Fire Property Loss Statistics
The USFA dollar-loss series expresses historical losses in constant 2023 dollars, allowing the reported amounts to be compared on a common inflation-adjusted basis. The estimates refer to residential-building heating fires in the United States and are not the same as insurance-paid losses.
| Year | Estimated property loss | Dollar basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $777.7 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2015 | $504.4 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2016 | $439.1 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2017 | $397.4 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2018 | $497.9 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2019 | $418.4 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2020 | $445.7 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2021 | $497.0 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2022 | $587.8 million | Constant 2023 dollars |
| 2023 | $488.0 million | 2023 dollars |
Source: Residential Building Heating Fire Trends (2014-2023), USFA inflation-adjusted estimates.
Estimated loss was $777.7 million in constant 2023 dollars in 2014 and $488.0 million in 2023. The 2017–2019 USFA report gives a separate annual average of $367 million in property loss, described as a report estimate rather than insurance-paid loss.
The two presentations should be read with their stated scopes and periods. The 2014–2023 series is year-specific and inflation-adjusted, while the 2017–2019 figure is an annual average from a topical report.
When and Where Home Heating Fires Occur
USFA’s 2017–2019 analysis provides context on seasonality, time of day and fire classification. It estimated an annual average of 34,200 residential-building heating fires in the United States during that period.
- January contained 20% of the annual total of heating fires during 2017–2019.
- Residential-building heating fires peaked between 5 and 9 p.m., with the highest peak from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Confined fires involving chimneys, flues or fuel burners accounted for 77% of residential-building heating fires.
- Heating was the second leading cause of residential-building fires and represented 9% of all such fires during 2017–2019.
Source: Heating Fires in Residential Buildings (2017-2019), USFA estimates and observations.
The evening pattern describes reported incidents, not risk per hour of heater use. Likewise, the 77% confined-fire share is a classification result; it does not identify every specific device or failure mechanism within that category.
Home Heating Fire Causes and Equipment Patterns
The USFA report separates nonconfined fires from the broader heating-fire total and identifies several conditions associated with those incidents. These percentages should not be generalized to all heating fires without retaining the stated denominator.
- In 27% of nonconfined residential-building heating fires during 2017–2019, the heat source was too close to combustibles.
- Smoke alarms were present in 56% of nonconfined heating fires in occupied residential buildings during 2017–2019.
- The smoke-alarm figure measures presence, not whether an alarm operated or whether it prevented injury.
Source: Heating Fires in Residential Buildings (2017-2019), USFA estimates.
The equipment definition is broad enough to include fixed and portable local heating units, fireplaces, heating stoves, chimneys, water heaters and central heating units. That breadth is useful for national scale, but it means the overall series cannot be interpreted as a product-specific failure rate.
Portable Heater Fire Statistics and Historical Context
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) gives a narrower view of portable heaters, including electric space heaters, in U.S. residential settings during 2017–2019. Its estimates should be kept separate from the USFA total because the scopes and source methods differ.
| Portable-heater measure | Estimate | Period and geography |
|---|---|---|
| Fires per year | 1,700 | 2017–2019, U.S. residential settings |
| Deaths per year | 70 | 2017–2019, U.S. residential settings |
| Injuries per year | 160 | 2017–2019, U.S. residential settings |
| Share of home heating fires | 3% | 2017–2019, U.S. homes |
| Share of fatal home heating fires | 41% | 2017–2019, U.S. homes |
Source: CPSC Warns Consumers to be Cautious When Using Space Heaters, Furnaces and Fireplaces This Winter, CPSC estimates.
Portable heaters averaged 1,700 fires, 70 deaths and 160 injuries annually during 2017–2019. They represented 3% of home heating fires annually but 41% of fatal heating fires in homes, so the two percentages use different denominators and should not be read as contradictory.
A historical CPSC estimate for electric-heater fires covered 1999–2002, the latest year available on the cited page. It estimated 4,400 fires, 90 deaths, 290 injuries and approximately $118 million in property loss per year in U.S. residential settings.
Source: Home Heating Fires Supporting Tables, historical CPSC estimate as reported in the supporting tables.
The 1999–2002 electric-heater figures are historical and use an older reporting period and dollar basis. They should not be used as a direct trend comparison with the newer 2017–2019 portable-heater estimates or the 2023 USFA residential-building series.
Across these sources, the core limitation is consistent: national figures are estimates derived from fire-department reporting systems and, in some cases, survey-based estimation. They describe reported incidents and modeled losses, not every heating-related fire in every U.S. home.