1.

Unattended cooking
2. Combustibles too
close to a heat source
 On Average:
• 40% of all home fires
• 36% of all home fire injuries
• 1 out of every 8 homes
• Mostly on the cook top
• Usually in the first 15
minutes of cooking.
Unattended cooking
can lead to a fire
that can destroy a
kitchen
and spread to the
rest of a home
Fire started by a microwave oven
• Stay in or near the
kitchen while
cooking
• Wear short or
tight-fitting
sleeves

• Keep combustibles away from

heat sources
• Cook on rear
burners
• Keep pot
handles turned
away from the
edge
• Keep surfaces clean; prevent
grease build-up
• Don’t cook if drowsy or
impaired
• Don’t allow kids
or pets to play in
the kitchen
• Turn off the stove
to answer the
phone or the door
If a fire occurs on the stove top –
• Do NOT use
– A fire extinguisher
– Baking soda
– A towel
• NEVER pour water
on a grease fire

• NEVER try to move a pan that’s on

fire
For a grease fire in a pan –
1. Slide a lid over the pan,
2. Turn off the burner
3. Let it cool

If you don’t have a lid use:

– Larger pan
– Cookie sheet
– Wooden bread board
For a fire in the oven
1. Leave the oven door closed
2. Call 9-1-1
For a fire in a microwave oven
• Keep the door closed
• Unplug unit if safe to do so
• Have the microwave oven
serviced before using again
This
is a handle for opening
the oven. It’s
NOT A TOWEL RACK!
1. Combustible material too close
(50%)
2. Candles left unattended (18%)
3. Playing with a candle (5% - mostly
kids)

Falling asleep – 12% of candle fires,

25% of associated deaths
NFPA 2005
• Christmas
• Christmas Eve
• New Year’s Day
• New Year’s Eve
• Halloween

NFPA 2005
• 18,000 residential fires
• 130 civilian deaths
• 1,350 civilian injuries
• $333 million in direct property
damage

U.S. - NFPA 2005

A candle started a fire in this apartment
while the renter slept.
• Always use a
candleholder
• Make sure it’s
– Sturdy, won’t tip
– Non-
combustible
– Large enough to
collect dripping
wax
• Do not use candles
that have combustible
items embedded in
them
• Extinguish all candles
when leaving a room
or going to sleep
• Keep candles away
from combustibles
and flammable liquids

Burn candles inside a 1-foot “circle of safety”

• Never leave children unattended in
a room with a burning candle
• Don’t allow candles (and incense)
in children’s or teens’ rooms
• Store candles out of reach and
sight of small children
• Never leave a burning candle
unattended
• Use candles cautiously during
a power outage
• Never use a candle when
checking pilot lights or fueling
equipment
• Avoid using any candles after
an earthquake
Lamp, light fixture, or light bulb – 28%
Wiring – 22 %
Outlet, receptacle, or switch – 17%

Defective cords and plugs start 12% of

electrical fires but cause 39% of civilian
deaths resulting from electrical fires!
20,900 homes
500 civilian deaths
1,100 civilian injuries
$862 million in property damage

NFPA 2005
This fire was caused by a 150-watt
bulb used in a 60-watt lamp.
• Use lighting safely
– Place lamps on level, uncluttered
surfaces
– Secure lampshades to protect
bulb if lamp is knocked over
– Never drape fabric or other
combustible material over any
lamp
• Use light bulbs that do not
exceed recommended
wattages
• Lighting to be used
outdoors should be
designated as such
• Don’t misuse fuses and circuit
breakers
– If a fuse blows or a circuit
breaker trips correct the problem
– Never replace a fuse or circuit
breaker with one that exceeds
the circuit rating
– Never tape a circuit breaker in
the open position
• Maintain electrical
outlets
– Replace old or
damaged with GFI
receptacles
– Plug type should
match outlet type
– Do not use a multi-
plug adapter unless it
has its own circuit
breaker
• Maintain electrical
appliances
– Look for the UL label
– Allow air space
around each
– Unplug small
appliances when not
in use
– Check CPSC website
for product recalls
• Care for electrical
cords
– Keep out of traffic paths
– Replace if cracked, cut,
or frayed
Care for electrical
cords
• Don’t push furniture
against plugs in
outlets
• Never run cords
under carpets or
through doorways
• Never alter plugs
Extension cords are for temporary
use only
If an outlet isn’t close
enough:
• Re-arrange furniture
• Have an electrician
install another outlet

• Use a multi-outlet
adapter with its own
circuit breaker
• Heed warnings of electrical
problems
– Recurring blown fuses or tripped
circuit breakers
– Feeling a tingle when touching
an electrical appliance
– Discolored wall outlets
– Burning smell or odd odor
– Sizzling sound at wall switches or
outlets
– Flickering lights
• Knob and tube wiring often found in
homes built prior to 1950
– Can become Tube
brittle over time
– Often impro-
perly connected
to newer wiring
Knob
– Unlikely to be
able to carry the
heavy load of
multiple modern –Best replaced by a
appliances certified electrician
• Aluminum wiring, installed in
homes during the 50s and 60s
– has been responsible for many
home fires
– Biggest problem - connections
with outlets and wall switches
deteriorating over time
Aluminum
wiring
• Can be
identified by the
writing on the
side of the
insulation
Aluminum
wiring
• Can also be
identified by the
wire color
• Specialized
connectors can
reduce the risk of
aluminum wiring
• Rewiring is the
best solution
 Lint, lint, and more lint!

•A clothes dryer that has to work harder to

evacuate lint and moisture can
•trigger enough heat to cause some dryer
components to malfunction
•produce sparks or even flames
•sometimes produce enough heat to ignite
lint or other nearby combustibles
• Each year dryer fires cause:
– $99 million damage
– 15,600 fire department responses
– About 400 injuries and 15
fatalities.
 Lint, lint, and more lint!

•A clothes dryer that has to work harder to

evacuate lint and moisture can
•trigger enough heat to cause some dryer
components to malfunction
•produce sparks or even flames
•sometimes produce enough heat to ignite
lint or other nearby combustibles
•Fires usually occur when lint builds up in the
dryer or in the exhaust duct.
•Fires usually occur when lint builds up in the
dryer or in the exhaust duct.
•Keep vent hose runs as straight and short as
possible
•Keep vent hose runs as straight and short as
possible
•Keep vent hose runs as straight and short as
possible
•Keep vent hose runs as straight and short as
possible
•Use smooth
sided ducting,
rigid if possible
•Corrugated is
more likely to
collect lint
•Vinyl is no
longer allowed;
it’s very
dangerous!
•Have interior of
cabinet cleaned
out regularly
•Check and clean outlet regularly
•Make sure air is coming through while the
dryer is operating
 Signs that the lint screen or
the exhaust duct is blocked.
– Clothing is still damp at the end of a typical cycle
– Drying requires longer times than normal
– Clothes feel hotter than usual at the end of the
cycle
– Outside of dryer is unusually hot
– Damper (or flappers) on exhaust termination
doesn’t open or barely opens when dryer is on
– Laundry room feels warmer or more humid than
normal
– Unexplained moisture stains appear in
concealed dryer exhaust duct area
– Burnt smells in laundry room
• Flap covered or louvered vents help prevent
birds/animals from nesting
•Don’t use any type of screening
•Clean filter before and after every load
• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• If the exhaust duct system is not up to current
standard, have it replaced or corrected.
• Install a fire extinguisher in laundry area, but
not over the dryer.
• Install smoke alarm in laundry area.
• Install CO alarm in laundry area (Gas dryer
only).
• Replace a damaged lint filter.
• Use caution not to crush or kink transition
duct behind dryer.
• Never operate a dryer while sleeping or away
from home.
• Deal with concerns immediately
 Most fires are
PREVENTABLE!
Escondido Fire Department
760-839-5400
fire.escondido.org