Home fire
Home fires are the disaster the Red Cross answers most often. Working smoke alarms and a practiced way out are what save lives.
Most of the roughly 65,000 disasters the Red Cross responds to each year are home fires. Once a smoke alarm sounds, you may have only a minute or two to get out, so the plan has to be ready first: working alarms, two ways out of every room, and closed bedroom doors. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab) NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
Why it matters in Utah
- In 2024, U.S. home fires killed 2,920 people, three out of four of all U.S. fire deaths: one death every three hours. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- Utah's fire death rate is lower than the nation's (7.6 vs. 13.1 deaths per million people in 2023), but 26 Utahns still died in fires that year. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- After a smoke alarm sounds, you may have as little as one or two minutes to escape. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- The death rate is about 60% lower in homes with working smoke alarms. In 59% of home fire deaths, there were no alarms or the alarms didn't work. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- Cooking causes 44% of home fires, most often when it's left unattended. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
Who's most affected
- Older adults: people 65 and older are 2.5 times as likely to die in a fire as the general population, and people 85 and older 3.4 times. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- People who are deaf or hard of hearing, who may not wake to a standard alarm. Strobe alarms and bed or pillow shakers help. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- Homes where someone smokes: smoking materials cause more home fire deaths than any other source. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- Homes heated with space heaters: portable heaters cause 3% of home heating fires but 41% of the deadly ones. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Anyone who needs extra time or help to get out, like people with limited mobility.
What to do
1 Before
- Put smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level, including the basement. Interconnected alarms all sound when one does. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
- Test alarms every month and replace them every 10 years. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Can't afford alarms? The American Red Cross installs up to three free smoke alarms in Utah homes; request a visit online. Red Cross Utah (opens source in a new tab)
- Make an escape plan with two ways out of every room and a meeting place outside. Practice it twice a year, and aim to get everyone out in two minutes. NFPA (opens source in a new tab) Red Cross Utah (opens source in a new tab)
- Sleep with bedroom doors closed. In fire tests, rooms behind closed doors stayed under 100°F while rooms with open doors topped 1,000°F. UL FSRI (opens source in a new tab)
- Stay with your cooking. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heaters, and turn space heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed. NFPA (opens source in a new tab) USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Keep the dryer's lint filter and vent clean; failure to clean is the leading factor in dryer fires. Don't plug major appliances into extension cords. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Charge e-bikes and scooters on a hard surface away from exits, never while you sleep or are away. Stop using any lithium-ion battery that smells, changes color, or gets too hot. Utah State Fire Marshal (opens source in a new tab) CPSC (opens source in a new tab) USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Keep candles 12 inches from anything that can burn, and never smoke in bed. Utah State Fire Marshal (opens source in a new tab)
- Keep a fire extinguisher and learn PASS: Pull the pin, Aim low, Squeeze, Sweep. Use it only on a small, contained fire with a clear way out. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
2 During
- Get out, stay out, and call 911 from outside. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- Get low and go under the smoke, closing doors behind you. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- Never open a door that's warm to the touch; use your second way out. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- If you're trapped, close the door, put a wet towel under it, call 911, and wave a cloth or flashlight at the window. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll, then cool the burn with water for 3 to 5 minutes. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- Never go back inside. Tell the dispatcher or firefighters if someone is missing. NFPA (opens source in a new tab)
3 After
- Stay out until fire officials say it's safe, and don't turn utilities back on yourself. Red Cross (opens source in a new tab) USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- Call your insurance company right away, and save every receipt for your claim and your taxes. USFA (opens source in a new tab)
- The Red Cross can help with food, clothing, medicine, and a place to stay. USFA (opens source in a new tab) Red Cross (opens source in a new tab)
- Replace lost documents such as driver's licenses, passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards. USFA (opens source in a new tab)