Fire Stats Cooking Fires

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Gary Powers
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1 Fire Stats Cooking Fires The following is a statistical analysis of fires during the ten year period from How Common are Cooking Fires? Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries in Alberta and the second cause of home fire deaths. Cooking activities includes warming, frying, baking, simmering, grilling or boiling. Table 1. Home Cooking Fire Losses by Year Year Fires Deaths Injuries Property Loss $ ,048, ,305, ,031, ,590, ,648, ,747, ,446, ,865, ,249, ,939,340 Total 3, ,872,570 How do Cooking Fires Start? Unattended cooking is the number one cause of home cooking fires (59 per cent). Unattended cooking can involve being distracted or pre-occupied, falling asleep and being impaired. The majority of unattended cooking fires happen on the stovetop (85%) There is little difference in the type of stove that starts cooking fires when they are compared proportionally. Gas stoves cause 3.2 fires per 1,000 gas stoves and Electric stoves cause 3.0 fires per 1,000 electric stoves. Last updated/reviewed July 19, 2005 For more information, please contact the Fire Commissioner s Office at (780) , or visit Dial for toll-free access outside of Edmonton

2 Cooking fires Table 2. Home Cooking Fire Causes ( ) Cooking Fire Causes Fires Deaths Injuries Property Loss $ Unattended Cooking 2, ,411,622 Ignorance of Hazard ,033,155 Combustible Placed Too Close to Heat ,366,866 Accident ,495,876 Human Failing-Unclassified ,175,638 Part Failure, Leak, Break ,011,033 Other ,378,415 Total 3, ,872,605 Where do Cooking Fires Happen? The majority of cooking fires happen in the Kitchen/cooking area (90%). Table 3. Area of Origin of Home Cooking Fires Area of Origin Fires Deaths Injuries Property Loss $ Kitchen/Cooking Area ,214,376 Court/Patio/Terrace ,360 Dining Area ,003,362 Exterior Balcony/Porch ,048,753 Lounge/Living Room ,296,760 Sleeping (under 5 occupants) ,764 Exterior Wall ,021 Chimney/Flue Pipe/Gas Vent ,816 Other ,605,358 Total ,872,570

3 Cooking fires What do Cooking Fires ignite? Fifty-eight per cent of cooking fires ignite cooking oil. Cooking oil include vegetable oils and animal fats. The majority of cooking oil fires (77 per cent) were caused when the cooking oil ignited in a pot or pan on a stovetop. These fires were mostly due to a distracted/pre-occupied cook. Table 4. Material First Ignited in Home Cooking Fires Material First Ignited Fires Deaths Injuries Property Loss $ Cooking Oil/Fat ,056,758 Plastics ,901,438 Paper/Cardboard Propane ,677,489 Electric Insulation In Electric Equip ,006 Fabric- Finished Goods ,135 Clothing ,114 Exterior Wall Cover ,859,303 Interior Wall Cover ,765,183 Floor Covering ,899,161 Wood/Wooden Items/Plywood (not building components) ,500 Food ,495 Furniture ,761 Other (categories under 20 fires each) Unknown ,0615,954 Total ,872,570

4 Cooking fires When do Cooking Fires Happen? There is no particular day of the week or month when cooking fires drastically increase. The majority of cooking fires occur between the hours of 5-7 p.m. (26 per cent) and between midnight to 1 a.m. (nine per cent). Graph 1. Cooking Fires by Time of Day Nnmber of Fires Unknown 12 a.m. 11 p.m. 10 p.m. 9 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 6 p.m. 5 p.m. 4 p.m. 3 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 p.m. 12 p.m. 11 p.m. 10 a.m 9 a.m 8 a.m. 7 a.m. 6 a.m. 5 a.m. 4 a.m. 3 a.m. 2 a.m. 1 a.m. Time of Day Fire Casualties Deaths The majority of cooking fire deaths occurs when cooking is left unattended (55 per cent). Most of these unattended cooking fires ignite cooking oil on the stove top (31 per cent). Cooking fire deaths occurred in adults aged and children aged 11 and under 1. 1 Population data from Statistics Canada catalogue # 95F0300XCB

5 Cooking fires Cooking Fire Deaths per 100,000 Population 1.5 Death Rate Adults (18-64) Children (>11) Youth (12-17) Seniors (65+) Population Groups Injuries The majority of cooking fire injuries occurred when cooking oil was left unattended (65 per cent). The majority of injuries were associated with stovetop cooking (85 per cent). Cooking fire injuries happen mostly to adults aged18-64 and children aged 11 and under 2. Cooking Fire Injuries per 100,000 population Injury Rate Adults (18-64) Children (>11) Youth (12-17) Seniors (65+) Population Groups Fire Deaths Unattended cooking oil ignited on the stove top Number 9 Other items (besides cooking oil) that ignited while cooking was left unattended 6 2 Population data from Statistics Canada catalogue # 95F0300XCB

6 Cooking fires Combustibles placed too close to cooking equipment 3 Human Failing 3 Lack of knowledge about cooking hazard and ignited wastepaper 2 Unattended cooking oil ignited by source other than stovetop 1 Ignited clothing with cooking equipment due to temporary loss of judgement 1 Unknown material ignited with cooking equipment. Victim with physical/mental disability 1 Ignited clothing due to misuse of cooking equipment 1 Furniture ignited from cooking equipment installed too close 1 Plastic ignited from automatic control failure 1 Total Fire Deaths 29 Fire Injuries Unattended cooking oil ignited on the stove top Number 403 Lack of knowledge about cooking related hazards lead to the ignition of a variety of items 56 Other items (besides cooking oil) that ignited while cooking was left unattended 44 Combustibles placed too close to cooking equipment 30 Misuse of items 17 Accident 14 Misuse of cooking equipment 12 Part failure, leak or break 9 Human failing 8

7 Cooking fires Temporary loss of judgement 6 Physical or mental disability 5 Cleaning, washing parts with gasoline near cooking equipment 3 Design deficiency 3 Unattended cooking oil ignited by source other than stovetop 3 Other (2 injuries or less) 12 Unknown 4 Total Fire Injuries 629 Conclusion Because home cooking is a leading cause of home fires, injuries and deaths we must take extra precautions to prevent cooking incidents from occurring in our homes. Home cooking fires, injuries and deaths mostly occur when cooking is left unattended. Some common reasons for unattended cooking include individuals being distracted or pre-occupied by talking on the phone; forgetting that the stove is turned on; watching television; reading a book or answering the door; falling asleep; being under the influence of alcohol; or being drowsy from medication or fatigue. When cooking is left unattended it is common for cooking oil to ignite on the stovetop. The best way to prevent cooking fires is to never leave cooking unattended. To prevent overheating and ignition of cooking oil, fry foods in a temperature controlled deep-fat fryer or skillet designed for a maximum temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. For more information on cooking fires see the Cooking Fire Fact Sheet on the Fire Commissioner s Office website at

Cooking Booth Construction and Location (See Figure 1 and 2 for diagrams):

Cooking Booth Construction and Location (See Figure 1 and 2 for diagrams): Page: 1 Of 9 Scope: This Standard shall apply to all cooking equipment, the including but not limited to: fryers, grills, BBQ s (both solid and LPG fuel supplied) and ovens. Use in or adjacent to booths