Part 1: Understand fire ยท Chapter 5
Other fires at home
Wildfire is one kind of fire a house can have. This chapter gives the basics for four others and points to the agencies that keep the full guidance.
Kitchen
NFPA says cooking is a leading cause of home fires 1. Its advice is to stay in the kitchen while you fry, grill, boil or broil, and to keep towels, curtains and food packaging away from the stovetop 1. If a pan catches fire, slide a lid over it, turn off the burner, leave the lid on until the pan has cooled, and never throw water on it 1. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed 1. If the fire doesn't go out, NFPA says to get everyone out and call the fire department from outside 1.
Official guidance: NFPA, Cooking Safety
Electrical
USFA says to plug major appliances straight into a wall outlet, never through an extension cord, and not to overload outlets or power strips 2. Replace worn or damaged cords, and replace an appliance whose cord is cracked or loose 2. USFA names failure to clean as the leading factor in home clothes dryer fires, and says to clean the lint filter every use and the vent ductwork every year 25.
Official guidance: USFA, Appliance and electrical fire safety
Lithium-ion batteries
USFA says to stop using a lithium-ion battery that gives off an odor, changes color or shape, gets too hot, leaks or makes odd noises 3. Store spares away from anything that can burn, out of direct sunlight and out of hot cars, and take old batteries to a battery recycler, not the trash 3. CPSC says to use the charger the manufacturer provides or recommends, to be home and awake while a device charges, and never to charge one while you sleep 4. If one catches fire, USFA's guidance is to get out quickly 3.
Official guidance: CPSC, Micromobility: E-Bikes, E-Scooters and Hoverboards and NFPA, Lithium-Ion Battery Safety
Garage
USFA says garage fires tend to spread farther and cause more injuries and dollar loss than fires that start elsewhere in a home 5. It says to keep oil, gasoline, paints, propane and varnishes in a shed away from the house, to keep burnable items on shelves away from appliances, and to plug only one charging appliance into an outlet without an extension cord 5. It also lists a heat alarm in the garage, and a self-closing, self-latching, 20-minute fire-rated door into the house 5.
Official guidance: USFA, Basement and garage fire safety
Sources
1. NFPA, "Cooking Safety." https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/cooking (read 2026-11-09)
2. USFA, "Appliance and electrical fire safety." https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/appliance-and-electrical/ (read 2026-11-09)
3. USFA, "Battery fire safety." https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/batteries/ (read 2026-11-09)
4. CPSC, "Micromobility: E-Bikes, E-Scooters and Hoverboards." https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Micromobility-Information-Center (read 2026-11-09)
5. USFA, "Basement and garage fire safety." https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/basement-and-garage/ (read 2026-11-09)