There are tons of causes of fire outbreaks in homes reported annually, but according to NFPA, fire occurrence due to cooking leads in the Top 10 preventable causes of U.S house fires list. The NFPA reports that at least 40 percent of all home fire outbreaks are caused by cooking. Fire outbreak due to cooking is common because it only needs minor negligence to occur. Not supervising your oven while cooking, for example, or ignoring some fault.