U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 1, Issue 10

January 2001 (Rev. December 2001)

Portable Heating Fires in

Residential Structures

FINDINGS

S Portable heating fires in residences are more deadly than other types

of heating fires. They account for only 10% of all heating fires, but 30%

and 40% of heating injuries and deaths, respectively.

S The bedroom is the leading area of origin for portable heating fires.

S Fabric and wood/paper represent 59% of the types of materials ignited

by heaters.

S The placement of combustibles too near portable heaters is a major

problem.

Each year, portable heating equipment—a subcategory of heating fires—is responsible for an average of 4,200 fires in U.S. residences. These fires are responsible for nearly

125 civilian fire deaths, 375 injuries, and $69.8 million in property loss.

1 Figure 1 shows

that portable heating fires are more deadly and destructive than the average residential

structure fire.

Figure 1. Loss Measures for Portable Heating Fires

(3-year average (1996–98) from NFIRS data)

ALL RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURE

FIRES

RESIDENTIAL

PORTABLE

HEATING FIRES

ALL RESIDENTIAL

HEATING FIRES MEASURE

Dollar Loss/Fire

Injuries/1,000 Fires

Fatalities/1,000 Fires

$11,271

48.0

7.7

$9,179

28.9

5.7

$16,791

92.0

27.2
Heating is the second leading cause of residential structure fires, following cooking.

(For a broader overview of heating fires, see “Heating Fires in Residential Structures,”

Vol. 2, Issue 5.) In the late 1970s and early 1980s, heating was the leading cause of such

fires, in part due to a surge in the use of alternative space heaters and wood heating. Although other categories of fires (e.g., cooking, smoking) have held steady or declined

slightly, the incidence of heating fires has decreased dramatically over the last decade.

However, residential heating fires are the leading cause of fire deaths in rural areas. In

these areas, alternative heat sources such as portable heaters are more widely used than in

urban areas where central heating systems are prevalent.

2

Figure 2 shows the pattern of portable heating fires reported to NFIRS throughout

the year. As would be expected, the number of heating fires increases during the late fall

and winter months (November through March). To stay warm, people increase their use

of portable heaters and other alternative heat sources, such as fireplaces. Heating is the

leading cause of fires in the winter months, just slightly higher than cooking, which is the

leading cause over a 12-month period.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 7/1

7/157/298/128/26

9/9

9/2310/7

10/21

11/4

11/18

12/2

12/1612/30

1/131/272/102/243/103/24

4/7

4/21

5/5

5/19

6/2

6/166/30

Incidents

Figure 2. Portable Heating Fires

(residential sructures, 3-year average (1996–98) from NFIRS data)

The peak months for residential portable heating fires are January and February, with

a decline through the remainder of the winter season. This pattern is the same for general

heating fires, and daily peaks are nearly identical.

A clear cause of many portable heating fires is when combustibles are placed too

close to the heater. In December 1999, a portable heater placed too close to combustibles

caused a fire, which killed four people including two children.3 And in November 2000,

two cousins were killed while visiting a relative’s house; a space heater in the basement

ignited a nearby bed and other combustibles.

4
The leading materials first ignited in residential portable heating fires are fabric,

wood/paper, flammable liquids (including kerosene), and plastics (Figure 3). These represent bedding, wall and floor coverings, and portable heating fuel that typically catch

fire.

Figure 3. Material Ignited in

Portable Heating Fires

MATERIAL

Fabric

Wood/Paper

Combustible Liquids

Plastics

PERCENT

33

26

14

9

Portable heaters cause less than 10% of residential heating fires; however, such fires

are responsible for nearly 30% of heating fire injuries and 40% of heating fire fatalities,

making them more deadly than other types of heating fires, such as those caused by

chimneys or central heating units. A high number of portable heating fires begin in the

bedroom, which likely contributes the to fact that the victim is asleep in nearly 35% of

the cases involving civilian casualties (injuries and fatalities).
The leading areas where portable heating fires start are shown in Figure 4. Bedrooms

and lounge areas combined account for 55% of all portable heater fires. Half of all portable heater fires are confined to the room of origin. (Overall, most heating fires originate

in chimneys or heating equipment rooms, and nearly 70% are contained to the room of

origin.)

Figure 4. Leading Areas of Origin of

Portable Heating Fires

(residential structures,adjusted %, 3-year average (1996–98)

from NFIRS data)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Bedroom

Lounge Area

Lavatory

Kitchen

Garage

Percent
-

Thirty-eight percent of portable heating fires are attributed to some kind of misuse of

the material ignited, and 28% are caused by a mechanical failure (Figure 5). (In comparison, nearly 60% of all heating fires are caused by a mechanical failure of some kind.)

The reasons for mechanical failure vary depending on the type of residential property involved in the fire. Lack of maintenance is responsible for twice the incidence of portable

heating fires in one- and two-family residences as opposed to apartments. Fires caused by

misuse of the material ignited occur slightly more often in apartments, and fires caused

by mechanical failure occur slightly more often in one- and two-family residences. This

same pattern is found in all heating fires.

Figure 5. Leading Factors Influencing the

Ignition of Portable Heating Fires

(residential structures,adjusted %, 3-year average (1996–98)

from NFIRS data)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Misuse of Material Ignited

Mechanical Failure

Misuse of Heat of Ignition

Operational Deficiency

Percent

Three important safety precautions related to portable heaters:

S Use and maintain the equipment as directed in the users manual.

S Never use portable heaters to dry clothes or otherwise be covered with fabric.

S Keep portable heaters at least 3 feet from any combustible (e.g. clothes, couches,

beds, drapery, cabinetry).

For more tips on how to prevent heating fires, see USFA website

www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/winter00 -01.htm or contact the Consumer Product Safety

Commission or local fire department.
NOTES

1. National estimates are based on National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data (1996–1998)

and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual survey, Fire Loss in the United States.

2. Profile of the Urban Fire Problem in the United States, U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA, 1999.

3. ”Four Dead in Pocomoke City Fire,” The Associated Press State and Local Wire, December 1, 1999.

4. “Two Boys Killed in Mattapan House Fire: Blaze Is Blamed on Space Heater,” The Boston Globe, November 26, 2000.

5. NFIRS analysis, 1998 data.

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