Mark Twain once said that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics. Trying to track down accurate figures about residential electrical fires produced quite a range of numbers. Everyone from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to various fire marshals across the country has a different figure to get the same point across: Misuse of electricity is a bad idea with sometimes incendiary results. Based on my reading, the following figures are well inside the ballpark when it comes to fires caused by electrical problems:
- Approximately 45,000 to 50,000 fires each year occur in homes because of faulty wiring, appliances, and extension cords.
- The National Center for Health estimates that approximately 760 electrocutions take place from all causes each year including 310 occurrences involving consumer products.
- More than 3,000 children under the age of 10 are treated in emergency rooms each year after inserting objects into electrical receptacles. Another 3,000 are treated for injuries associated with extension cords.
- According to the CPSC, plugs and cords are involved in close to 20 percent of all residential electrical fires each year.
- Electrical fires kill hundreds of people in their homes every year, injure thousands more, and destroy hundreds of millions of dollars in property.
- December is the most dangerous month, electrically speaking, because of holiday lighting and portable-heater use.
- Older homes are more likely to have a fire than homes built in the last 20 years.
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