HOME FIRES INVOLVING COOKING EQUIPMENT

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1 HOME FIRES INVOLVING COOKING EQUIPMENT John R. Hall, Jr. Fire Analysis and Research Division National Fire Protection Association February 2008 National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA

2 Abstract In 2005, an estimated 146,400 U.S. home structure fires involving cooking equipment resulted in 480 civilian deaths, 4,690 civilian injuries, and $876 million in direct property damage. Ranges, with or without ovens, account for two-thirds (67%) of total reported confined or nonconfined home structure fires involving cooking equipment and even larger shares of associated civilian deaths (85%) and civilian injuries (82%). Portable cooking or warming devices had the third largest share of home cooking fires but the second largest share of associated civilian deaths. Keywords: Range, oven, microwave, toaster, grill, frying, fryer, fire statistics Acknowledgements The National Fire Protection Association thanks all the fire departments and state fire authorities who participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the annual NFPA fire experience survey. These firefighters are the original sources of the detailed data that make this analysis possible. Their contributions allow us to estimate the size of the fire problem. We are also grateful to the U.S. Fire Administration for its work in developing, coordinating, and maintaining NFIRS. For more information about the National Fire Protection Association, visit or call To learn more about the One-Stop Data Shop go to or call Copies of this analysis are available from: National Fire Protection Association One-Stop Data Shop 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA osds@nfpa.org phone: NFPA No. USS11 Copyright 2008, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA

3 Executive Summary In 2005, an estimated 146,400 U.S. home structure fires involving cooking equipment resulted in 480 civilian deaths, 4,690 civilian injuries, and $876 million in direct property damage. Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and associated civilian injuries. The numbers of home cooking fires in were the highest totals estimated since Except for the 1990s, the number of estimated deaths in home structure cooking equipment fires has fallen in the range of 450 to 530 in most years covered in Table 1, and there has been no clear trend. Associated civilian injuries have shown no clear trend since 2002, when NFIRS Version 5.0 was well established, and the total is below the level in 1998, which was at the end of a decade-long downward trend. Associated direct property damage adjusted for inflation was the highest since 1981 except for the 1991 total, which is distorted by estimation problems unique to that year. The recent increases in home cooking fires coincides with the introduction of confined cooking fire as a coding option. Therefore, it is not clear whether the increase reflects a real increase in fires or a shift in how incidents are coded. The increase in inflation-adjusted property damage is not so easily explained by the change in coding options. Cooking equipment accounted for 40% of total home structure fires in 2005, 16% of associated civilian deaths, 36% of associated civilian injuries, and 13% of associated direct property damage. Ranges, with or without ovens, account for two-thirds (67%) of total reported confined or nonconfined home structure fires involving cooking equipment and even larger shares of associated civilian deaths (85%) and civilian injuries (82%). Note that fires in ovens that are parts of ranges often may be coded as range fires. Portable cooking or warming devices had the third largest share of home cooking fires, after ranges and ovens, but the second largest share of associated civilian deaths. In 2006, cooking equipment accounted for 67,240 estimated injuries reported to U.S. hospital emergency rooms. The leading factors contributing to ignition for non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment were equipment unattended (38%), heat source too close to combustibles (12%), unintentionally turned on or not turned off (10%), and abandoned or discarded material or product (8%). Frying appears to be the cooking method with the highest risk of fire. Frying accounted for 63% of 218 range top cooking-material ignitions studied by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Deep fryers involve larger quantities of hot cooking oil than that involved in *All statistics are based on National Electronic Injury Surveillance system (NEISS) data obtained from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website, accessed on October 27, Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipments, 2/08 i

4 regular frying, and turkey fryers involve extremely large quantities of hot cooking oil. These characteristics may add to the fire or scald risk of these devices. Three-fifths (59%) of civilian injuries suffered in home structure fires involving cooking equipment occurred while the victim was trying to fight the fire, compared to one-third (35%) of injuries suffered in any other type of home structure fire. Also, 7% of civilian deaths in home structure fires involving cooking occurred as a result of injuries while fighting the fire, compared to 3% of deaths in any other type of home structure fire. The majority (54%) of non-confined structure fires involving cooking equipment began with ignition of cooking materials. Nearly all (93%) of non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment began in the kitchen. Electric powered ranges have a higher risk of fires and associated losses than gas-fueled ranges. Home fires involving cooking equipment are a holiday tradition, peaking on dates that are major U.S. holidays with traditions of cooking, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year s Eve. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipments, 2/08 ii

5 Table of Contents Executive Summary Table of Contents List of Numbered Tables and Figures Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment Fact Sheet Home Fires Involving Grills Fact Sheet Home Fires Involving Microwave Ovens Fact Sheet i iii v vii ix xi Introduction 1 Overview of Kitchen Equipment 3 All Cooking Equipment 5 Ranges 31 Ovens or Rotisseries 47 Portable Cooking or Warming Devices 61 Microwave Ovens 83 Grills 89 Deep Fryers 121 Grease Hoods or Duct Fans 129 Appendix A: How National Estimates Statistics Are Calculated 135 iii

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7 List of Numbered Tables and Figures Page Table A. Home Fires Involving Kitchen Equipment, Including Cooking Equipment 3 Figure 1. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Year 5 Table B. Home Structure Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Type of Device 6 Table C. Estimated Hospital Emergency Room Injuries Involving Cooking 8 Equipment, by Type of Equipment Table D. Electrocution Deaths Involving Cooking Equipment 12 Figure 2. Percentage of Home Structure Fires, by Alarm Time 13 Table E. Leading Dates for Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment 14 Figure 3. Cooking Equipment Fire Victims by Gender 14 Figure 4. Extinguishment Method Reported in CPSC Study of Reported and 16 Unreported Fires Table 1. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Year 20 Table 2. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Factor Contributing to Ignition 21 Table 3. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Human Factor 22 Contributing to Ignition Table 4. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Item First Ignited 23 Table 5. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Area of Origin 24 Table 6. Trends in U.S. Use of Primary Cooking Power Sources 25 Table 7. Comparative Risks of Gas versus Electric Stoves 26 Table 8. U.S. Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Involving Home Cooking Equipment 27 Table 9. Casualties in Home Structure Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, 28 by Age of Victim Table 10. Cooking Fire Problem in Other Countries 29 v

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9 One-Stop Data Shop Fire Analysis and Research Division One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to 146,400 home 1 structure fires that involved cooking equipment in These fires caused 480 civilian fire deaths, 4,690 civilian fire injuries, $876 million in direct property damage. Cooking equipment fires are the leading cause of home structure fires and associated civilian injuries. Ranges accounted for the largest share (67%) of home cooking fire incidents in Ovens accounted for 19%. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. In , unattended cooking equipment was the leading factor contributing to home cooking fires (38%), deaths (45%), injuries (46%) and direct property damage (37%). Twelve percent of the fire occurred when something that could catch fire was too close to the equipment. Three-fifths (59%) of reported home cooking fire injuries occurred when victims tried to fight the fire themselves. In a 1999 study of range fires by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 83% of frying fires began in the first 15 minutes of cooking. Home Cooking Equipment Fires by Equipment Involved, 2005 Reported Fire Injuries and Emergency Room Treated Burns Involving Cooking Equipment Range, with or without oven Oven Portable cooking or warming device Microwave oven Grill, hibachi, or barbecue Deep fryer 2% 7% 5% 0% 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% 0% 1% 5% 8% 5% 19% Fires Civilian deaths Civilian injuries 68% 85% 83% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Range or oven Grill Microwave oven Portable cooking or warming device Deep fryer 2% 4% 2% 4% 5% 4% 1% 1% 8% 24% 23% 29% 41% 62% 90% Home fire injuries 2006 Thermal burns 2006 Scald burns 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Only 1% of cooking fires began with clothing but these clothing fires caused 12% of the cooking fire deaths. One out of every five cooking fires that began with clothing resulted in a death. In 2006, hospital emergency rooms treated around 29,850 thermal burns and 8,460 burns caused by cooking equipment. Ranges accounted for 62% of these thermal burns and grills 28%. Microwaves accounted for 41% of the scald burns. 1 Homes are dwellings, duplexes, manufactured homes, apartments, townhouses, rowhouses and condominiums. vii

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11 One-Stop Data Shop Fire Analysis and Research Division One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA Home Fires Involving Grills In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 8,300 home 1 fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues, including 3,400 structure fires and 4,900 outside fires. These 8,300 fires caused 10 civilian deaths (to the nearest ten), 110 reported injuries and $137 million in direct property damage. Almost all the losses occurred in structure fires. The 3,400 home structure fires involving grills accounted for 2% of the reported home cooking equipment fires, 3% of associated civilian deaths, and 2% of associated civilian injuries, but 16% of the associated property damage. One-third (35%) of the non-confined 2 home structure fires involving grills started on an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch, 18% started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, and 11% started on an exterior wall surface. 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1, Home Grill Fires by Power Type 4, , ,370 (89%) 2,780 (81%) Structure fires Outdoor fires Gas Charcoal or other solid-fuel Other Fires rounded to the nearest 10. Gas grills were involved in a total of 7,200 home fires, including 2,800 structure fires and 4,400 outdoor fires. Leak or break was the leading factor contributing to gas grill fires. Flammable or combustible gas or liquid was the leading item first ignited in gas grill fires. Charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in a total 1,100 home fires, including 600 structure fires and 500 outside fires. The leading cause was something that could burn being too close to the grill. Structural member or framing was first ignited in one-fifth of the charcoal-or other solid-fueled grill non-confined structure fires. Exterior wall covering or finish was first ignited in another onefifth. An estimated 8,610 people were seen at hospital emergency rooms for thermal burns caused by grills. 3 Most of these burns were due to contact with the grill, not fire. ix

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13 One-Stop Data Shop Fire Analysis and Research Division One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA Home Fires Involving Microwave Ovens Microwave ovens were involved in an estimated 7,400 home 1 structure fires in 2005, resulting in 87 civilian injuries and $18 million direct property damage. There were no reported fire deaths. Nearly one-third (30%) of non-confined microwave oven home structure fires cited appliance housing or casing as the item first ignited. Microwave ovens involve more emergency room scald burn injuries than any other cooking device. Nearly half (41%) of the microwave oven injuries seen at emergency rooms in 2006 were scalds. Microwave ovens accounted for 41% of cooking equipment scald burns but only 5% of home cooking structure fires. Microwave Oven Share of Cooking Equipment Injuries and Fires Scald burns, % Thermal burns, % Fire injuries, % Fires, % 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipments, 2/08 xi

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15 Introduction Cooking refers to food preparation through the application of heat. Cooking equipment therefore does not include all food processing equipment. For example, electric can openers and food processors are excluded. These other types of equipment typically found in the kitchen are analyzed in NFPA s report on home fires involving kitchen equipment other than cooking equipment. Beginning in 1999, NFIRS Version 5.0 provides additional detail on the type of cooking equipment, primarily specific types of portable cooking or warming devices. Here is an overview of the new vs. old equipment categories. Type of Equipment NFIRS Version 5.0 Type of Equipment NFIRS Version Coffee maker or teapot 25. Portable cooking or warming device 632. Food warmer or hot plate 25. Portable cooking or warming device 633. Kettle 25. Portable cooking or warming device 634. Popcorn popper 25. Portable cooking or warming device 635. Pressure cooker or canner 25. Portable cooking or warming device 636. Slow cooker 25. Portable cooking or warming device 637. Toaster, toaster oven, or countertop 25. Portable cooking or warming device broiler 638. Waffle iron or griddle 25. Portable cooking or warming device 639. Wok, frying pan or skillet 25. Portable cooking or warming device 641. Breadmaking machine 25. Portable cooking or warming device 642. Deep fryer 24. Deep fat fryer 643. Grill, hibachi, or barbecue 26. Open-fired grill 644. Microwave oven These devices could have been coded in up to four places in NFIRS Version Oven or rotisserie 22. Fixed, stationary oven, including rotisserie 646. Range with or without an oven or cooking surface, including counter-mounted stove. 21. Fixed, stationary surface unit, including stove 647. Steam table or warming drawer/table 23. Fixed, stationary food warming appliance 654. Grease hood or duct exhaust fan 27. Grease hood or duct Incident type 113. Structure fire involving Does not correspond to any specific type of contents of cooking vessel with no fire equipment in NFIRS Version 4.1. extension beyond vessel. 1

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17 Overview of Kitchen Equipment Most equipment involved in food preparation, storage, clean-up or disposal is used primarily in the kitchen and is here referred to as kitchen equipment, even when it is used in another area. This equipment is further separated into cooking equipment (food preparation employing heat) and any other equipment, primarily refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers. See Table A. Table A. Home Fires Involving Kitchen Equipment, Including Cooking Equipment Annual Average of Structure Fires Reported to U.S. Fire Departments (Including Fires Reported as Confined Fires) Civilian Civilian Direct Property Damage Type or Group of Equipment Fires Deaths Injuries (in Millions) Cooking equipment 161,800 (42,700) 442 (442) 4,720 (3,260) $763 ($736) Range 107,200 (32,300) 381 (381) 3,910 (2,760) $530 ($510) Oven or rotisserie 31,500 (3,400) 4 (4) 270 (120) $32 ($27) Portable cooking or warming 9,000 (2,900) 38 (38) 230 (160) $78 ($77) device Microwave oven 8,100 (1,300) 0 (0) 110 (60) $17 ($17) Grill, hibachi, or barbecue 3,500 (1,600) 14 (14) 90 (80) $83 ($83) Deep fryer 1,400 (600) 5 (5) 70 (40) $17 ($17) Other equipment 1,000 (500) 0 (0) 40 (30) $5 ($5) Confined to cooking vessel but 4, $2 coded as equipment other than cooking equipment Kitchen equipment other than 3, $72 cooking equipment Refrigerator, freezer, or ice 1, $48 maker Dishwasher 1, $22 Other equipment $1 Total 169,300 (47,500) 457 (457) 4,950 (3,430) $843 ($808) Note: Numbers in parentheses exclude confined fires. Confined fires are fires reported as confined to chimney, flue, fuel burner, or boiler and involving heating equipment; they are analyzed separately. These are national estimates of fires reported to U.S. municipal fire departments and so exclude fires reported only to Federal or state agencies or industrial fire brigades. National estimates are projections. Casualty and loss projections can be heavily influenced by the inclusion or exclusion of one unusually serious fire. Fires are rounded to the nearest hundred, civilian deaths and civilian injuries are expressed to the nearest ten and property damage is rounded to the nearest million dollars. Figures reflect a proportional share of home fires with equipment involved in ignition unknown or reported as cooking or kitchen equipment of undetermined type. Fires reported as no equipment but lacking a confirming specific heat source (codes 40-99) are also treated as unknown equipment and allocated. Damages have not been adjusted for inflation. Source: Data from NFIRS Version 5.0 and from NFPA survey. 3

18 Beginning in 1999, the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) introduced six confined-fire coding options confined to cooking vessel, chimney, boiler, incinerator, trash compactor, or trash container. There is less mandatory reporting associated with fires reported as confined fires, but there is enough voluntary reporting to permit analysis of patterns for these fires, including analysis of equipment involved in ignition. In NFPA s home cooking fire report, fires reported as confined to a cooking vessel and as involving cooking equipment are statistically allocated among the different types of cooking equipment. In NFPA s report on fires involving kitchen equipment other than cooking equipment, there is no allocation of fires reported as confined to a cooking vessel, because there are few such fires also coded as involving kitchen equipment other than cooking equipment. However, there are a large number of home fires reported as confined to a cooking vessel and involving some equipment other than cooking equipment. Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and associated civilian injuries. In , cooking equipment accounted for 42.7% of home structure fires, 15.4% of associated civilian deaths, 35.1% of associated civilian injuries, and 12.8% of associated direct property damage. Kitchen equipment other than cooking equipment accounted for 0.9% of fires, 0.5% of deaths, 0.8% of injuries, and 1.2% of damage. Fires confined to a cooking vessel but coded as involving equipment other than cooking equipment accounted for 1.1% of fires, 0.0% of deaths, 0.9% of injuries, and 0.0% of damage. All kitchen equipment combined accounted for 44.7% of home structure fires, 15.9% of associated civilian deaths, 36.8% of associated civilian injuries and 14.1% of associated direct property damage. 4

19 All Cooking Equipment In 2005, an estimated 146,400 reported U.S. home structure fires involving cooking equipment resulted in 480 deaths, 4,690 civilian injuries, and $876 million in direct property damage. The numbers of home cooking fires in were the highest totals estimated since Except for the 1990s, the number of estimated deaths in home structure cooking equipment fires has fallen in the range of 450 to 530 in most years covered in Table 1, and there has been no clear trend. Associated civilian injuries have shown no clear trend since 2002, when NFIRS Version 5.0 was well established, and the total is below the level in 1998, which was at the end of a decade-long downward trend. Associated direct property damage adjusted for inflation was the highest since 1981 except for the 1991 total, which is distorted by estimation problems unique to that year. The recent increases in home cooking fires coincides with the introduction of confined cooking fire as a coding option. Therefore, it is not clear whether the increase reflects a real increase in fires or a shift in how incidents are coded. The increase in inflation-adjusted property damage is not so easily explained by the change in coding options. Because the measures of loss show different trends, it is not clear that any simple statement about the trend of the home cooking fire problem is supported by the evidence. Cooking remains the leading cause of home structure fires and associated civilian injuries. Figure 1. Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Year Structure Fires Reported to U.S. Fire Departments 250, ,000 Fires 150, , , ,400 50, Year Source: Data from NFIRS and NFPA Survey. Note: See Notes on Table 1. Cooking equipment accounted for 40% of total home structure fires in 2005, 16% of associated civilian deaths, 36% of associated civilian injuries, and 13% of associated direct property damage. 5

20 Some other NFPA reports show different totals for home cooking fires and losses than are shown in this report. The principal reason is that this report excludes fires reported as confined to a cooking vessel if they are not also reported to involve cooking equipment. The largest share of these excluded fires involved heating stoves, which accounted for an estimated 400 confined cooking fires in 2005, or about 10% the number of confined cooking fires not involving cooking equipment. A fire can be coded as a confined cooking fire involving a heating stove for several reasons. Some heating stoves are designed and marketed for dual use as cooking equipment, but this kind of equipment appears to be in very limited use. Also, some heating stoves not designed for dual use nevertheless may be used for cooking, which may be an unsafe practice. Finally, some cooking stove fires may be coded as heating stove fires because heating stove is the only coding option that uses the word stove in its name. Cooking stoves are labeled as ranges, and the fact that this includes cooking stoves appears only later in the language that fully describes what is included in this entry. It also should be noted that estimates may be different if dwellings and apartments are analyzed separately, as is done in NFPA s report giving an overview of home structure fires. Ranges, with or without ovens, account for two-thirds (68%) of total reported confined or non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment and even larger shares of associated civilian deaths (85%) and civilian injuries (82%). Ranges also account for the largest number and share of confined cooking fires 69,600 (98,600 minus 28,900) or 64% of the total of 108,800 (146,400 minus 37,600) home structure fires that are reported as confined cooking fires involving cooking equipment. (See Table B.) Table B. Home Structure Fires Involving Cooking Equipment, by Type of Device, 2005 Civilian Civilian Direct Property Device Fires Deaths Injuries Damage (in Millions) Range, with or without oven 98,600 (28,900) 410 (410) 3,850 (2,890) $556 ($540) Oven, including rotisserie 27,800 (3,100) 10 (10) 360 (110) $52 ($39) Portable cooking or warming 7,400 (2,100) 40 (40) 260 (170) $88 ($88) device Microwave oven 7,400 (1,400) 0 (0) 90 (40) $18 ($18) Grill, hibachi, or barbecue 3,400 (1,300) 10 (10) 80 (60) $137 ($137) Deep fryer 1,000 (300) 0 (0) 50 (20) $17 ($17) Grease hood or duct exhaust 700 (400) 0 (0) 10 (10) $8 ($8) Steam table or warming device 100 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) $0 ($0) All cooking equipment 146,400 (37,600) 480 (480) 4,690 (3,300) $876 ($845) Note: Statistics in parentheses exclude confined fires. See Notes on Table 1 for additional details on data and methods. Source: Data from NFIRS Version 5.0 and NFPA survey. 6

21 Portable cooking or warming devices had the third largest share of home cooking fires, after ranges and ovens, but the second largest share of associated civilian deaths. Grills had only the fifth largest share of home cooking fires but had the second largest share of associated direct property damage. As the only type of home cooking equipment with extensive outdoor use, the grill share of fires would be higher if one included their 2005 home outdoor fire totals of 4,900 fires, no civilian deaths, 30 civilian injuries, and $0 million in direct property damage (to the nearest million dollars). Steam table or warming device is the only specific device that appears to fit within the old NFIRS Version 4.0 category of fixed cooking or warming device, which is why it is listed separately. Its estimated fires and losses are very small. Cooking fires accounted for 12,344,000 unreported home fires per year, or 55.3% of all unreported fires in the last study of unreported fires, in 1984.* That represents an average of more than one kitchen cooking fire for every eight occupied housing units per year, a high rate of potentially hazardous situations. (Other kitchen fires added another 4,710,000 fires, or 21.1% of the total, leaving only 23.6% of all unreported fires occurring outside the kitchen.) This total of 12,344,000 unreported home cooking fires is 88 times the estimated number of reported home cooking fires in 2005 or 99 times the reported total in 1984, the year of the unreported fire study. The overwhelming majority of these unreported kitchen cooking fires involved no dollar damage at all, as they stopped with the cooking materials that were first ignited, and only 5.2% of these fires caused someone an injury or illness such as headache or dizziness. Nevertheless, these small percentages translate into 642,000 cases of injury or illness per year, or 140 times the number of injuries in home cooking fires that were reported in The ratio of unreported 1984 home cooking fire injuries to 1984 reported home cooking fire injuries was 131. The estimated total direct property damage for unreported home cooking fires probably adds less than 50% to the total for home cooking fires reported to U.S. fire departments.) This underscores the fact that injuries are the principal reason for concern with home cooking fires. In 2006, cooking equipment accounted for 67,240 estimated injuries reported to U.S. hospital emergency rooms.** See Table C for a breakdown by device (type of equipment) and for thermal and scald burns. Compared to estimated 2005 home fire civilian injuries (in Table B), the microwave oven share is higher (13% vs. 2%), and the grill share is much higher (24% vs. 2%). A large share of injuries for any device do not involve either thermal burns (e.g., contact burns) or scald burns. Abrasions, contusions, and lacerations are other common types of injuries occurring when the victim either falls against the equipment or has the equipment fall on them. Scald burns are a very small share of these injuries for ranges and grills but are the leading type of injury for *Audits & Surveys, Inc., 1984 National Sample Survey of Unreported Residential Fires: Final Technical Report, Prepared for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Contract No. C , Princeton, NJ: Audits & Surveys, Inc., June 13, **All statistics are based on National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data obtained from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website, accessed on October 27,

22 cooking equipment that is capable of very high temperatures (e.g., microwave oven) or that is used to heat liquids as beverages (e.g., coffee maker or tea pot) or as a sauce or cooking medium (e.g., deep fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker). Table C. Estimated Hospital Emergency Room Injuries Involving Cooking Equipment by Type of Equipment, 2006 Thermal burn Scald Scald burn Estimated Thermal burn percentage of burn percentage of Type of Equipment injuries injuries total injuries injuries total injuries Range or oven 35,800 (53%) 18,650 52% 2,040 6% Grill 15,990 (24%) 8,610 54% 320 2% Microwave oven 8,560 (13%) 1,080 13% 3,480 41% Portable cooking or warming 5,620 (8%) 1,320 23% 1,950 35% device Deep fryer 1,120 (2%) % % Rotisserie 150 (0%) 0 0% 0 0% All cooking equipment* 67,240 (100%) 29,850 44% 8,460 13% *There appears to be no equipment category corresponding to range hood or duct fan. Source: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. As further context, there were a total of 63,150 scald burn injuries reported to hospital emergency rooms in Three-fourths of these involved hot water. Many of these hot-water scald burns involved water that had been heated for cooking, while most (more than four-fifths) of the scald burn injuries that did not cite hot water cited cooking equipment or other home products used in food preparation or presentation. The leading factors contributing to ignition for non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment were equipment unattended (38%), heat source too close to combustibles (12%), unintentionally turned on or not turned off (10%), and abandoned or discarded material or product (8%). These factors account for a combined total of 68% of fires, but because multiple factors can be entered for the same fire (and the total of factor entries was 8% higher than the total number of fires), it is possible that not all of these factor entries represent different fires, but it is still clear that these factors account for at least 60% of the fires. (See Table 2.) Three of these four factors are similar in that they all involve a failure of oversight. Equipment unattended implies a lack of oversight of the equipment, unintentionally turned on or not turned off implies a lack of oversight of the operating status of the equipment, and abandoned or discarded material in this context appears to imply a lack of oversight of either the equipment or more likely the material in the equipment to be cooked (or spilled near the equipment during food preparation). The share of non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment that cite equipment unattended as a factor contributing to ignition (38% in ) is much lower than the share of all home cooking fires cited with this factor before the introduction of NFIRS Version 5.0. A 8

23 couple of possible explanations have been identified, but at this stage, they remain speculative. One possible explanation is that some unattended-equipment fires are being coded instead as unattended-person fires under human factor contributing to equipment. Another possible explanation is that unattended equipment may be a much more dominant factor for fires that remain confined to the cooking vessel than for the non-confined fires that are the subjects of the analysis in this report. Other factors such as heat source too close to combustibles may be more likely to suggest an ignition that begins outside the containment of the cooking vessel and so might be more likely to result in a non-confined fire. Frying appears to be the cooking method with the highest risk of fire. The following bullet points on cooking methods are taken from Marty Ahrens et al., Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires Through Strategies Based on Statistical Analysis, EME-2005-CA- 0343, project report to U.S. Fire Administration, NFPA, The CPSC study referenced in several bullets below conducted investigations of 289 range fires, including 218 fires that begin with ignition of food or other cooking materials. The study statistics cited here are based on these 218 cooking material range fires. Frying. Frying accounted for 63% of the CPSC range fire study incidents.* In those incidents, fire began in the first 15 minutes for 83% of the fires, while 12% began at least 30 minutes after cooking began. Frying inherently involves a combustible medium in addition to the food, namely the cooking oil, and two-thirds of the CPSC range fire frying incidents began with ignition of the cooking oil. A frying pan provides no containment for fire if one begins. For all these reasons, there can be no exceptions to attendance at frying by the cook. Because frying is relatively quick, there should be no great hardship in attendance. Deep fryers involve larger quantities of hot cooking oil than that involved in regular frying, and turkey fryers involve extremely large quantities of hot cooking oil. Because the frying process involves inserting the food into the heated medium, then later removing it and transferring it to a drying location, deep frying with these larger quantities of hot oil involve numerous opportunities for thermal burns and scalds, as well as fire ignitions. Woks and other devices designed for stir-fry cooking also need to be considered within the frying cooking method and need to be closely attended. Broiling and Grilling. Broiling and grilling were part of the other category that accounted for 9% of the CPSC range fire study incidents.* (Grilling is broiling on a gridiron.) In the other incidents, fire began in the first 15 minutes for 76% of the fires, while 24% began at least 30 minutes after cooking began. Broiling and grilling do not inherently involve a combustible medium in addition to the food. However, both types of cooking often involve a need for regular cook intervention, such as turning the food, in order to avoid overheating. Broiling is sometimes done in an oven, which provides some containment for fire if one begins. However, when broiling in an electric oven, the oven door is left ajar, limiting the containment. In addition, other broiling and *Linda Smith, Ron Monticone, and Brenda Gillum, Range Fires, Characteristics Reported in National Fire Data and a CPSC Special Study, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1999, accessed at 9

24 all grilling are done on exposed cooking surfaces. For all these reasons, broiling and grilling can be regarded as only slightly less risky than frying and there should be no exceptions to attendance. Barbecue grills are designed for use outside, and that location may reduce the risk, if fire occurs, of spread from grill to other valuable combustibles. In addition, fatal barbecue grill fires are rare. However, when fatal grill fires do occur, they nearly always involve ignition of a part of a structure. Indoor use of charcoal grills, specifically, also introduces a significant risk of death due to carbon monoxide build-up. This combination accounts for more than 10 deaths a year. Baking and Roasting. Baking accounted for 10% of the CPSC range fire study incidents.* (Baking and roasting are cooking with dry heat. This presumably refers to convective heat, as contrasted with the radiant heat used in broiling and grilling.) Fire began in the first 15 minutes for 88% of the fires, while 12% ignited at least 30 minutes after cooking began. Baking and roasting do not inherently involve a combustible medium in addition to the food. Baking does not normally involve a need for regular cook intervention, but some roasting does require regular cook intervention, such as basting, in order to avoid overheating. Baking and roasting are typically done in an oven, which provides containment for fire if one begins. Primarily for this last reason, baking and roasting can be regarded as less risky than broiling and grilling. Brief absences during cooking, which tends to take longer than frying, broiling or grilling, can be justified, provided a timer is used to remind the cook to check on the cooking. Toaster ovens can be regarded as small baking devices, although they can be used for broiling as well. Hot plates and food warmers involve conducted heat rather than convective heat. Together with toasters and toaster ovens, they account for most of the fires and related deaths associated with portable cooking or warming devices. Hot plates and toasters should not be left unattended during their typically very short cooking periods. Boiling. Boiling accounted for 18% of the CPSC range fire study incidents.* Fire began during the first 15 minutes in 6% of the fires, while 63% ignited at least 30 minutes after cooking began. Boiling does not inherently involve a combustible medium in addition to the food. In fact, the normal medium of water will typically prevent fire until or unless it boils away. Boiling does not normally involve a need for regular cook intervention. Boiling may be done in either an enclosed container (e.g., kettle, coffee maker) or an open container (e.g., pan). However, if the water boils away, the container may fail and deform, removing the containment. Primarily because few fires occur early in the boiling process, boiling can be treated as comparable to or less risky than baking and roasting. Brief absences during cooking can be justified, provided a timer is used to remind the cook to check on the cooking. Unlike other types of cooking, the periodic inspection can readily identify an impending hazard (i.e., the imminent loss of the water) with ample time to correct the problem. *Linda Smith, Ron Monticone, and Brenda Gillum, Range Fires, Characteristics Reported in National Fire Data and a CPSC Special Study, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1999, accessed at 10

25 Simmering is cooking done at or just below the boiling point. If the simmering temperature is well below the boiling point, simmering is like slow cooking (see below) or even food warming. Stewing is slow boiling. Steaming is cooking by exposure to steam, i.e., water in the form of heated vapor. Each of these presents a variation on boiling. Slow cooking. Slow cooking was not identified in the CPSC range study and represents a small share of the estimated home fires involving all types of portable cooking or warming equipment. Heat levels are typically low enough that other provisions for safety, including close attendance, are not necessary. If the cookware is placed where an unlikely minor overflow will not contact other combustibles, there will be added safety. If a crock pot or similar device is used, any ignition of food will also be contained, provided nothing has interfered with the equipment itself. The leading human factor contributing to ignition for non-confined home cooking fires was unattended or unsupervised person (27% of fires), but it is possible that some or most of these are actually cases of unattended cooking equipment. Table 3 shows the breakdown. Unattended or unsupervised person is normally used for a fire started by a person with unreliable judgment, such as a young child, whose access to a heat source leads to the fire. None of the other cause-related data elements show patterns clearly consistent with the scenario, and special studies have confirmed that the person conducting the cooking when fire occurs is rarely a young child or an older adult for whom supervision of the person, as opposed to the equipment, would be expected to be an issue. The leading human factor contributing to ignition for fire deaths was asleep (33% of fire deaths). The majority (54%) of non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment began with ignition of cooking materials. Table 4 shows that other types of items first ignited have significant shares of associated losses. Clothing ignitions account for only 1% of the fires but for 12% of the associated civilian deaths, a total of 55 deaths per year. Appliance housing or casing accounted for 7% of fires, and the similar household utensil accounted for another 5% of fires. Flammable or combustible gas or liquid accounted for 5% of the fires. Cabinetry also accounted for 5% of fires but for 10% of damage. Nearly all (93%) of non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment began in the kitchen. The leading other areas of origin exterior balcony or unenclosed porch; courtyard, terrace or patio; garage; and exterior wall surface all primarily reflected locations of grill fires, which accounted for the majority of reported home cooking structure fires in all these areas except garages. (See Table 5.) Electricity is favored over gas by 3-to-2 as the primary cooking equipment power source. Table 6 shows the trend since 1950, when gas was favored by 4-to-1. Liquid and solid-fueled equipment are used by a negligible share of the population. 11

26 Electric-powered ranges have a higher risk of fires and associated losses than gas-fueled ranges. Rates of fires and direct property damage in fires per million user households are three to four times higher for fires, civilian injuries, and direct property damage. (See Table 7.) Rates for civilian deaths had been higher for gas-fueled ranges in past reports but are higher by one-third for electric-powered ranges in this report. The risks associated with fires are not significantly changed by the inclusion of electrocution deaths or non-fire carbon monoxide deaths, except for some small appliances. Electrocution deaths have been estimated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for , excluding 1999 when no report was issued. (See Table D.) In 2002, electric ranges and range hoods were combined in an undifferentiated other category. In 2003, microwave ovens and grills were combined in an undifferentiated small cooking appliance category that had a total of 3 deaths. Table D. Electrocution Deaths Involving Cooking Equipment Microwave Electric-powered Range Year oven range hood NA NA NA NA NA 2003 NA 0 0 NA Not available Source: Risana T. Chowdhury, 2003 Electrocutions Associated With Consumer Products, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, December 2006, Table 2, and earlier reports in series. Electrocution deaths are roughly equal to home fire deaths for microwave ovens in Range hood electrocution deaths average as much as or more than range hood home fire deaths. Non-fire carbon monoxide deaths are shown in Table 8. Charcoal grill non-fire carbon monoxide deaths dwarf the fire deaths for these devices. With these exceptions, these non-fire deaths are negligible compared to the fire deaths for all other cooking equipment. Roughly one-fourth of people receiving energy assistance have used a kitchen stove for heat in the previous year.* Earlier in the report, it was noted that more than 10,000 confined cooking fires per year are reported to involve a heating stove. This figure is an unknown combination of coding errors, use of equipment designed for both heating and cooking, and use of equipment designed only for heating for cooking. The counterpart to this fire problem is the use of equipment designed only for cooking for the purpose of heating. The number of reported confined heating fires that *National Energy Assistance Directors Association, 2005 National Energy Assistance Survey: Final Report, September 2005, accessed at 12

27 involve cooking equipment is comparatively small (less than 100), but in this case there is information on the number of people conducting this unsafe behavior. In fiscal year 2005, more than 4.9 million low-income households received financial assistance with heating and cooking bills through the Low Income Home Energy Association Program (LIHEAP). A survey of 1,100 LIHEAP recipients found that roughly one-quarter used a kitchen stove or oven to provide heat in at least one month in the past year because of a lack of funds for the energy bill.* This translates to roughly 1.2 million of the households who receive this financial assistance using a kitchen stove for heat in at least one month a year. The frequency of using a kitchen stove for heat varied by region. For example, 34% of the respondents in the South reported using a stove or oven for heat in at least one month of the year compared to 26% in the West, 22% in the Northeast, and 18% in the Midwest. Non-confined home structure fires involving cooking equipment peak during the 5-7 pm period. Figure 2 compares the variation by time of day in home fires involving cooking equipment to the same variation for all home fires. Both peak during the 5-8 pm period. That three-hour period has a 13% share of the day s hours but its share of home cooking fires is twice as large (26%). The 26% share of home cooking fires is also larger than that time period s share (21%) of total home structure fires. Figure 2. Percentage of Home Structure Fires, by Alarm Time Fires Involving Cooking Equipment vs. All Fires Fires 10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2%2% 2% 2% Midnight - 1 a.m. 1-2 a.m. 2-3 a.m. 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 3-4 a.m. 4-5 a.m. 5-6 a.m. 6-7 a.m. 7-8 a.m. 8-9 a.m. Cooking equipment 9% 9% All fires 8% 7% 7% 6% 6% 7% 6% 6% 7% 5% 6% 6% 6% 5% 4% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 4% 5% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 9-10 a.m a. m. 11 a.m. - Noon Noon - 1 p.m. 1-2 p.m. 2-3 p.m. 3-4 p.m. 4-5 p.m. 5-6 p.m. 6-7 p.m. 7-8 p.m. 8-9 p.m p.m p.m. 11 p.m. - Midnight Source: Data from NFIRS and NFPA survey. Note: See Note on Table 1. 13

28 With regard to civilian fire deaths, the period from midnight to 6 am (representing 25% of the day s hours) accounts for roughly the same share (28%) of civilian fire deaths involving home cooking equipment. The 28% share is considerably smaller than the time period s share (43%) of civilian deaths in all home structure fires. The risk of death in a home cooking equipment fire is roughly the same during midnight to 6 am as during 6 pm to midnight (also 28%), slightly lower than during 6 am to noon (32%), and much higher than during noon to 6 pm (12%). Home fires involving cooking equipment are a holiday tradition, peaking on dates that are major U.S. holidays with traditions of cooking. During 2005, the eight dates with the largest numbers of estimated reported home fires involving cooking equipment were nearly all dates associated with holidays. Table E provides the details: Table E. Leading Dates for Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment Structure Fires Reported to U.S. Fire Departments (Including Fires Reported as Confined Fires) Percent Above Average Date Fires Number of Fires per Day November 24 (Thanksgiving) 1, % December 25 (Christmas Day) % December 24 (Christmas Eve) % December 31 (New Year s Eve) % November 23 (Day before Thanksgiving) % March 13 (Day before Orthodox Lent*) % January 1 (New Year s Day) % May 8 (Mother s Day % November 20 (Sunday before Thanksgiving) % March 20 (Palm Sunday) % March 27 (Easter Sunday) % April % Average number of fires per day 285 0% * Orthodox Lent lasts seven weeks and includes food restrictions. The day before would be the last day to have those foods for nearly two months. Source: Data from NFIRS and NFPA survey. Note: See Note for Table 1. Older teens and adults up to age 44 have higher numbers of home cooking fire injuries relative to population but lower numbers relative to their involvement in cooking. Table 9 shows how the risk of home cooking fire injury looks different if assessed relative to population or relative to share of those who were cooking when a range fire began. Older adults age 75 or older have high risk by either measure. Women have slightly higher numbers of home cooking fire injuries relative to population but much lower numbers relative to time spent in food preparation and clean-up. U.S. women at least 15 years of age spend an average of 47.4 minutes a day on food preparation and clean-up in a typical day. Men, on the other hand, spend an average of 15 minutes a day on these same tasks.* However, Figure 3 shows that in males accounted for 58% of the *Karen Hamrisk and Kristina J. Shelley, How much time do Americans spend preparing and eating food?, Amber Waves, November 2005, accessed at 14

29 home cooking fire deaths and 48% of cooking fire injuries. Considering that men spend onethird of the time that women spend on food preparation and clean-up, the male risk from these fires is substantially higher. 80% Figure 3. Cooking Equipment Fire Victims by Gender 76% 70% 60% 50% 49% 58% 48% 51% 43% 52% 40% 30% 24% 20% 10% 0% Male Female Population Deaths Injuries Food prep and clean-up time Sources: Statistical Abstract, data from NFIRS Version 5.0 and NFPA survey, Hamrisk and Shelley article.* Three-fifths (59%) of civilian injuries suffered in home structure fires involving cooking equipment occurred while the victim was trying to fight the fire, compared to one-third (35%) of injuries suffered in any other type of home structure fire. Also, 7% of civilian deaths in home structure fires involving cooking occurred as a result of injuries while fighting the fire, compared to 3% of deaths in any other type of home structure fire. While firefighting is often a cause of injury in home cooking fires, it is even more often successful in quickly controlling the fire. The ratio of 88 unreported home cooking fires (in the mid-1980s) for every reported home cooking fire (in 2005) is evidence of this success and is a much higher ratio than for other types of home fires. (The ratio for other home fires combined is 41 unreported home fires in the mid-1980s for every reported home fire not involving cooking equipment in 2005.) If one uses 1984 reported fire to better match up with the year of the unreported fires study, then the ratio of unreported to reported home structure fires was 99 for cooking fires and 21 for all other types of fires. Because firefighting by occupants is so common with home cooking fires, it is important to help people better distinguish between extinguishment methods that are safe and effective and those that are not. Figure 4 shows the methods reported as used by residents in the unreported fires study. The total (118%) is greater than 100% because some residents reported using more than one method. 15