U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center

Structure Cooking Fires

Topical Fire Research Series, Volume 5 – Issue 6

August 2005
T O P I C A L F I R E R E S E A R C H S E R I E S


Structure Cooking Fires 

August 2005 Volume 5, Issue 6 

Findings

■ Cooking is the leading cause of fires and fire injuries in structures. Deaths and 

property lossess due to cooking, however, are among the lowest. 

■ In 2002, cooking fires and injuries peaked at 6 p.m.—the dinner hour. There was a 

slight decrease in cooking fires in the summer when more outdoor barbecuing and 

family vacationing occur. 

■ The leading type of material ignited in cooking fires is food, especially fats, oils, and 

grease. 

■ Cooking left unattended is the leading factor contributing to cooking fires. 

■ A smoke alarm was present and alerted the occupants in 45% of cooking fires. 

Fires attributable to cooking equipment have long been one of the leading causes of structure fi res.With the 

decline in fires caused by heating in the 1980s and early 1990s and the steady level of cooking-related fi res, cooking 

has become the leading cause of structure fires.This topical report examines the characteristics of structure cooking 

fires as derived from currently available 2002 NFIRS data. In 2002 alone, cooking-related fires caused an estimated 

185,600 fires in structures, 80 deaths, 3,875 injuries, and $481 million in property damage.

1, 2, 3 

LOSS ESTIMATES AND MEASURES 

Cooking fires are characterized by very low loss rates for deaths and dollar loss and moderate loss rates for 

injuries (Figure 1).Their impact comes from the sheer number of fires experienced each year.As Figure 2 indicates, 

cooking fires accounted for 36% of reported structure fires in 2002.While the large majority of these fi res (94%) 

are small and result primarily in injuries, their collective effects result in more structure fire injuries than any other 

cause.

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The property loss value for all structure fi res per fire was $14,252 in 2002. For cooking fires, the losses were 

small by comparison at $1,573 per fire. And, for the vast majority of cooking fi res—the small fi res that primarily 

damage the cooking pot or equipment—the damage is even smaller at just $51 per fi re.

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FIGURE 1. 2002 LOSS MEASURES FOR COOKING FIRES


Loss Measure All Structure 

Fires 

All Cooking 

Fires 

Confined 

Cooking Fires 

$ Loss/Fire $14,252 $1,573 $51

Injuries/1,000 Fires 30.5 20.5 10.2

Fatalities/1,000 Fires 5.1 0.3 0.0

Note: No deaths were reported to NFIRS in the no property loss confined fires in

2002.

Source: NFIRS 5.0, 2002 data

U.S. Department of Homeland Security • Federal Emergency Management Agency 

United States Fire Administration • National Fire Data Center 

Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/nfdc/pubs/tfrs.shtm 

1 
0 10 20 30 40 

Incendiary/Suspicious 

Children Playing 

Smoking 

Heating 

Cooking 

Electrical Distribution 

Appliances 

Open Flame 

Other Heat 

Other Equipment 

Exposure 

Natural 

Percent 

Fires Deaths Injuries Loss 

0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 

FIGURE 2. 2002 CAUSES OF STRUCTURE FIRES AND STRUCTURE FIRE LOSSES 

Source: NFIRS 5.0, 2002 data

WHERE FIRES OCCUR 

Although cooking fires occur in many property types, the overwhelming majority of them take place in 

residential structures. Over 80% of cooking fires occur either in one- and two-family dwellings or in multifamily 

buildings such as apartments (Figure 3). 

FIGURE 3. 2002 COOKING FIRES BY PROPERTY TYPE 

1- and 2-Family Dwellings 46.9

Multifamily Dwellings 33.6

Other Residential Dwellings 6.8

Restaurants, Bars, Other 3.5

Eating or Drinking Places

24-Hour Care Nursing Homes 1.1

All Other Properties 8.1

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0, 2002 data

Percent of 

Property Use Fires 

WHEN FIRES OCCUR 

Cooking fires follow no seasonal or monthly trend; they occurred steadily throughout 2002, with a slight 

decrease in the summer months.This slight decrease might be explained by a decrease in indoor cooking during the 

summer as outdoor barbecuing and vacationing increase. 

Cooking fires do follow a daily pattern.When analyzed by time of day, a noticeable peak in kitchen fi res 

occurred in the 6 p.m. hour, as shown in Figure 4.A secondary peak occurs at noon.The fact that the highest 

percentage of fires occur during the hours when many people prepare lunch or dinner is not surprising.The fi res are 

least prevalent in the late night/early morning hours, when people are asleep. 

Cooking fires that result in injuries follow the same general trend—peaking at dinnertime with a smaller peak at 

lunchtime.This pattern is wholly expected as cooking by its nature involves both the individual and the heat source. 

2 
0 

2 

4 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

Percent Midnight 2am 4am 6am 8am 10am Noon 2pm 4pm 6pm 8pm 10pm Midnight 

Fires 

Fires Causing Injuries 

FIGURE 4. 2002 TIME OF DAY OF STRUCTURE COOKING FIRES AND INJURIES 

Source:NFIRS 5.0, 2002 data

MATERIAL IGNITED 

Cooking materials, including food, were the material first ignited. Specifically, oil, fat, and grease were 

the leading types of material ignited in cooking fires (41%).This is not surprising as oil and grease are highly 

flammable and can splatter or spill during cooking. Other foods or starches were the second most common material 

ignited (21%), followed by plastics (10%) such as appliance casings or cooking utensils. 

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO IGNITION 

Careless cooking activities are typically responsible for cooking fires.When a factor was noted as contributing 

to the ignition of the fire, unattended equipment, such as people leaving food in the oven or on the stove and 

forgetting about it, accounted for 30% of cooking fires. Misuse of material or product and having the heat 

source too close to combustibles (an inherent part of cooking) each accounted for 9% of structure cooking fi res. 

Abandoned or discarded materials or products accounted for an additional 8%. 

EQUIPMENT INVOLVED IN IGNITION 

The equipment involved in a cooking fire is most often the range—59% of all cooking fires.Taken together the 

range, oven, and microwave account for 76% of the equipment involved in cooking fi res. 

SMOKE ALARM PRESENCE AND OPERATION 

In 45% of all structure cooking fires, a smoke alarm was present, operated, and alerted the occupants as 

illustrated in Figure 5.An alarm did not alert the occupants in 17% of cooking fires.The fact that alarms functioned 

properly and alerted the occupants may partly explain the lower rates of death and property loss in cooking. In 38% 

of structure cooking fire incidents, however, the status of the alarm was either unknown or not reported. Among 

structure fires generally, an alarm was present and operated in 34% of fires in 2002, and no alarm was present in 

48% of incidents. 

FIGURE 5. 2002 SMOKE ALARM STATUS IN


STRUCTURE COOKING FIRES


Not 

reported 

(2.9%) 

Alarm did not 

alert occupants 

(16.8%) 

Alarm unknown 

(35.5%) 

Alarm alerted occupants 

(44.7%) 

Source:NFIRS 5.0, 2002 data

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EXAMPLES 

• 	April 2004: A fire started by unattended cooking resulted in severe damage to a house in Goldsboro, NC. A 

13-year old boy put food on the stove to cook, then left the home. He returned later to find the house on 

fi re.

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• 	February 2005: In Randolph,VT, a resident of a 48-unit apartment building left food on the stove to cook 

while he left his apartment for a short time.The fire was extinguished, but one whole fl oor was fi lled with 

smoke.There were no injuries.

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• 	May 2005: Cooking oil left to heat unattended on a stovetop caused a lethal fire in Syracuse, NY. A threeyear-old child perished in the blaze.

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CONCLUSION 

Cooking fires are preventable. Several straightforward and easily implemented steps can be taken by individuals 

to prevent cooking-related fires and to protect themselves from injury should a cooking fire occur. First, care should 

be taken when cooking with oil, butter, or other greasy foods that are highly flammable and can easily splatter or 

spill from pots and pans. Cooking aids are available to limit grease splattering. Do not attempt to extinguish greasebased fires with water as it reacts violently when poured on hot grease or oil. Small grease fires can be extinguished 

by placing a cover on the pan or smothering the fire with baking soda. Alcohol, such as wine and liquor, used in 

food preparation is extremely fl ammable. Loose fitting, long-sleeved clothing should not be worn while cooking, as 

the cloth may ignite and potentially cause serious injuries. 

The leading ignition factor in kitchen fires, unattended equipment, should serve as a reminder to keep an eye on 

cooking materials at all times. Be cautious when leaving cooking materials for any period of time, such as answering 

the telephone or talking with others. By simply double-checking that all dials on stoves and ovens are off when 

cooking activities have ended, many fi res can be prevented. 

Fire extinguishers should be within easy reach of cooks. Many cooking fires occur under normal cooking 

conditions and cannot be anticipated.The use of extinguishers can prevent small fires from spreading and are 

especially effective on those fires, such as grease fires that cannot be easily extinguished by water. 

Finally, all homeowners and renters should ensure that smoke alarms are installed and are operating properly. 

Smoke alarms are an inexpensive and effective way of detecting fires before they get out of control. 

To request additional information or comment on this report, visit 

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/feedback 

Notes: 

1.	 Loss estimates are based on 2002 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data and national structure fi re 

loss estimates from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) Fire Loss in the United States During 2002. All structure fi res 

coded as cooking fires were considered in making these loss estimates. 

2.	 Distribution statistics are based on data from the NFIRS 2002. At the time of this report, NFIRS continues to transition from 

version 4.1 to 5.0. Due to issues related to accurately converting version 4.1 data to version 5.0, this report is based on data 

reported only in version 5.0. 

3.	 Fire loss estimates are rounded as follows: fires to the nearest 100 fires, injuries to the nearest 25 injuries, deaths to the nearest 

5 deaths, and dollar loss to the nearest $million. 

4.	 These small fires include cooking fires coded as “confined” incidents regardless of loss and fi res coded with flame spread coded 

 as “confined to object of origin.” 

5.	 Loss statistics for confi ned fires are limited to those confi ned fires (incident types 113–118) with only contents loss.These fi res 

account for 84% of all cooking fires and about 90% of small cooking fires as defined in the footnote above. 

6.	 Jack Stephens, “House Fire Started by Child Cooking,” Goldsboro News-Argus, April 2, 2004, 

http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2004/04/02/house_fi re_started_by_child_cooking. 

7.	 “Smoke from Cooking Fire Empties Randolph House,” The Herald of Randolph, VT, February 10, 2005, 

http://www.rherald.com/news/2005/0210/Community_News/com03.html. 

8.	 Cammi Clark, “Cooking Oil Started Fatal Fire,” The Post-Standard, May 10, 2005, 

http://syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/policeblotter-0/11157144981. 

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