Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
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Expert reviewed
This article has been reviewed by a licensed Policygenius expert to ensure that sources, statistics, and claims meet our standard for accurate and unbiased advice.
Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.
While the number of house fires has declined steadily over the past 40 years, fires today cause far more damage. In fact, the average fire loss per house in 2020 was $23,562, compared to $12,214 in 1980. [1] Fortunately, your homeowners insurance can pay to rebuild your house or replace your belongings after an expensive fire.
Here are the top five leading causes of residential fires from 2015 to 2019, according to the NFPA. [16]
Cause
Average number of house fires
Average direct property losses
Cooking
169,400
$1.2 billion
Heating equipment
45,800
$1 billion
Electrical fires
32,000
$1.3 billion
Intentional
28,400
$554 million
Smoking materials
16,300
$511 million
While cooking was the leading cause, electrical fires brought the most damage. Smoking materials were the fifth leading cause of house fires, but they caused more deaths than any of the others.
Does homeowners insurance cover house fires?
Yes, homeowners insurance covers just about every cause of house fires, including wildfires and kitchen fires. If your house is damaged or destroyed by a fire, homeowners insurance can pay to rebuild your home and replace any damaged belongings. Your policy can also pay for temporary lodging, restaurant meals, and other living expenses while your home is being rebuilt or repaired.
Cooking fires are the number one cause of house fires by far, causing on average 169,400 house fires per year from 2015 to 2019, according to the NFPA. Heating equipment is the second leading cause of house fires, resulting in 45,800 house fires on average from 2015 to 2019.
How common are house fires?
A house fire occurs every 89 seconds on average nationwide, according to the NFPA.
How many homes catch fire each year?
According to the NFPA, about 356,500 house fires occurred in 2020. In 2019, around 264,500 house fires occurred.
References
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Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.
