Electrical Fire Statistics: How Many US Fires, What Starts Them and the Harm They Do

Electrical fire statistics range from 18,400 to 56,900 fires a year depending on the definition

Three federal and industry publishers count US electrical fires in five different ways. The counts overlap and are not additive, which is why figures quoted online differ by a factor of three.

NFPA's May 2026 report Home Electrical Fires uses the widest home-only definition: a fire counts if an electrical failure or malfunction contributed to ignition, or if electrical distribution, lighting or power transfer equipment was involved. On that basis US fire departments responded to an annual average of 46,652 home electrical fires in 2020 to 2024, with 527 civilian deaths, 1,580 injuries and $2.4 billion in direct property damage a year.

Electrical failure or malfunction: An NFIRS factor contributing to ignition, such as a short-circuit arc or a worn insulation fault. It can apply to any powered item, including a dryer or a range, not only to building wiring.

Electrical distribution and lighting equipment: An NFIRS equipment-involved-in-ignition group. NFPA defines it as installed wiring, outlets, switches, cords, plugs, power supplies and lighting.

Electrical malfunction (USFA cause): One of the USFA cause categories. Each fire is assigned a single cause through a hierarchy, so a fire coded to another cause first is not counted here.

The U.S. Fire Administration's narrower cause category gave 23,700 residential building electrical malfunction fires in 2023, with 305 deaths, 800 injuries and $1.5 billion in dollar loss (USFA). The NFPA combined count is 1.97 times this figure. The CPSC's 2021 to 2023 Residential Fire Loss Estimates isolate unintentional fires where electrical distribution equipment was involved in ignition: 18,400 fires, 210 deaths and 720 injuries a year, or 5.2% of residential fires. CPSC's broadest group, any electrically powered equipment, reaches 56,900 fires a year because it adds electric ranges, heaters, dryers and other appliances.

Electrical fires held level for a decade while other residential fires declined

USFA counts of residential electrical malfunction fires moved within a narrow band from 2014 to 2023. Because all residential fires fell, electrical fires became a slightly larger share of the total.

USFA estimates put residential building electrical malfunction fires between 23,400 and 26,100 a year from 2014 to 2023. USFA describes the decade as a 2% increase in fires, a 19% decrease in deaths, a 2% increase in injuries and a 28% increase in inflation-adjusted dollar loss. All residential building fires fell 6% over the same period by USFA's measure.

An ECW index with 2014 set to 100 shows residential electrical malfunction fires at 99.2 in 2023, against 90.8 for all residential building fires. The electrical share of residential fires rose from 6.3% in 2014 to 6.9% in 2023, with a peak of 7.0% in 2022. Over the ten years USFA estimates 243,300 residential electrical malfunction fires and 2,590 deaths.

NFPA's combined home series points the same way over a longer window: 41,390 home electrical fires in 2010, a peak of 49,940 in 2022, 46,080 in 2023 and 48,757 in 2024. The 2024 figure equals an index of 117.8 on a 2010 base. In 2024, home electrical fires were 14.8% of all US home structure fires and caused 20.3% of home fire deaths (ECW calculation from NFPA's Fire Loss in the United States During 2024 and the Home Electrical Fires supporting tables).

Nonresidential buildings add a smaller stream: USFA estimated 7,400 nonresidential building electrical malfunction fires and $354.4 million in dollar loss in 2023, and describes a 7% decrease in those fires from 2014 to 2023. USFA does not publish deaths or injuries by cause for nonresidential buildings.

Installed wiring starts more electrical fires than outlets, cords and lighting combined

Within electrical distribution equipment, installed wiring is the single largest item. Outlets and switches, cords and plugs, and light fixtures follow, and many fires start out of sight in attics and walls.

CPSC's 2021 to 2023 estimates break down the 18,500 unintentional residential fires a year involving electrical distribution equipment (Table 4a). Installed wiring was involved in 8,200 fires a year (44.3%), receptacles and switches in 2,600 (14.1%), cords and plugs in 1,700 (9.2%), light fixtures in 1,300 and lamps or bulbs in 500. Light fixtures plus lamps and bulbs make up 9.7% of the total. Panel boards were involved in 600 fires a year but $103.1 million in property loss, or $171,833 per fire, a figure lifted by large losses in 2023.

NFPA's 2020 to 2024 data show where in the home the combined category of electrical fires begins: kitchens or cooking areas (15%), bedrooms (12%) and attics or ceiling and roof assemblies (9%). Cable wire or cable insulation was the item first ignited in 36% of home electrical fires, and arcing from operating equipment was the heat source in 64%. Electrical distribution, lighting or power transfer equipment was involved in 47% of the fires but 60% of the deaths and injuries.

The last USFA topical report on the subject, covering 2014 to 2016, recorded the same pattern for specific equipment: other electrical wiring (30.5%), outlets and receptacles (12.0%), branch circuits (7.6%), extension cords (5%), panel boards (4%) and other lamps and lighting (4%) (USFA, December 2018). Bedrooms (15.4%) and attics or crawl spaces above the top story (13.0%) were the leading areas of origin, and wall assemblies accounted for 8.7%.

Electrical fires peak in winter and are deadliest overnight

Electrical fires cluster in the coldest months and in one- and two-family homes. Fires that start while people sleep are a minority of incidents but a majority of deaths.

NFPA found that December, January and February together accounted for 28% of US home electrical fires and 39% of the associated deaths in 2020 to 2024. Outside winter, July had the next greatest share at 9%. USFA's 2014 to 2016 data also show January as the peak month (12.1% of residential electrical fires) and September as the lowest (6.3%).

Time of day matters more for deaths than for incidence. Fires between midnight and 8 a.m. were 22% of home electrical fires but 52% of the deaths in 2020 to 2024, while fires between noon and 8 p.m. were 44% of fires and 24% of deaths (NFPA). By room, living room fires were 7% of home electrical fires but 27% of the deaths, and bedroom fires accounted for 21% of the deaths.

Building type is skewed too. In 2014 to 2016, one- and two-family dwellings accounted for 82.9% of residential building electrical fires against 60.0% of nonelectrical fires; multifamily buildings accounted for 11.7% (USFA). USFA suggests stricter inspection rules and professional maintenance in multifamily buildings as one explanation. Electrical fires also spread further: only 16.5% stayed within the object of origin, against 64.0% of nonelectrical fires.

Electrical fires kill more people per fire than the average home fire

Deaths, injuries and dollar loss per fire are higher for electrical fires than for residential fires as a whole under every dataset checked here.

Using USFA estimates for 2014 to 2023, residential electrical malfunction fires caused 10.6 deaths per 1,000 fires against 7.5 for all residential building fires, a ratio of 1.42. Injuries ran at 35.9 per 1,000 electrical fires against 30.9. The death rate is volatile because the counts are small: it ranged from 7.1 per 1,000 in 2022 to 13.6 in 2014.

NFPA data give a similar gap. The combined home electrical category caused 11.3 deaths and 33.9 injuries per 1,000 fires in 2020 to 2024. In 2024 alone the rate was 12.2 deaths per 1,000 home electrical fires, against 8.9 deaths per 1,000 for all reported home fires, a ratio of 1.37. CPSC's unintentional fires show 11.4 deaths per 1,000 electrical distribution fires against 7.1 per 1,000 unintentional residential fires in 2021 to 2023.

Dollar loss follows the same pattern. The average residential electrical malfunction fire cost $63,359 in 2023, 1.94 times the $32,694 average for all residential building fires (USFA, nominal dollars). CPSC puts property loss at $47,299 per electrical distribution fire against $27,431 per unintentional residential fire. USFA's topical report links this to fires hidden in walls and attics that are detected late.

Among distribution items, cords and plugs have the highest death rate in the CPSC data: 50 deaths a year from 1,700 fires, or 29.4 per 1,000. Installed wiring caused 90 deaths a year from 8,200 fires (11.0 per 1,000) and receptacles and switches 30 deaths from 2,600 fires (11.5 per 1,000). CPSC rounds deaths to the nearest 10, so these item rates carry wide uncertainty.

Older homes report more electrical warning signs, but fire data do not measure risk by home age

No national fire dataset publishes electrical fire rates by year built. Survey data on blown fuses and exposed wiring show more warning signs in homes built before 1960, with a rise again in the newest homes.

USFA's 2018 topical report states that elevated electrical fire risk may be particularly true for homes more than 40 years old, with older wiring and systems that may not meet current code, but it does not quantify a rate. The 2023 American Housing Survey offers a related measure. In an ECW weighted tabulation of 133.2 million occupied homes, 9.1% of homes built before 1960 reported a blown fuse or tripped breaker in the prior three months, against 6.2% of homes built 2000 to 2009, a ratio of 1.47. Exposed wiring in living areas was reported in 3.5% of pre-1960 homes against 1.9% of 2000 to 2009 homes.

Electrical work requirements depend on the code edition each state has adopted; see NEC adoption by state and the state electrical license lookup for local rules.

CPSC recalled 11 electrical distribution and lighting products for fire hazards since January 2025

Recalls are a leading indicator rather than a fire count. Since January 2025 most fire-hazard recalls involved batteries and appliances, with a smaller group of power strips, adaptors, cables and light fixtures.

ECW pulled all 910 CPSC recalls dated January 1, 2025 to October 26, 2026 from the keyless SaferProducts.gov recalls API. Of these, 159 named a fire hazard in the recall title. Eleven (6.9%) involved electrical distribution, wiring or lighting products, covering about 322,393 units. Batteries, chargers, power banks, e-bikes and scooters accounted for 33 (20.8%).

The two largest were high bay LED light fixtures, the kind used in high-ceiling buildings such as warehouses according to one of the notices: about 186,520 units recalled on February 26, 2026 after one report of a fixture catching fire, and about 42,000 units recalled on July 2, 2026 after nine reports of fixtures catching fire. Two power strip recalls (December 18, 2025 and March 26, 2026) cited a lack of supplementary overcurrent protection.

What these electrical fire numbers cannot tell you

All three publishers build on the same voluntary incident reports, use different definitions and leave a large share of causes undetermined.

• Undetermined causes: USFA attributed 560 residential fire deaths in 2023 to fires with cause under investigation, more than the 305 attributed to electrical malfunction. Some of those deaths may involve electrical faults.
• Unreported fires: all three datasets cover fires attended by fire departments. Small fires handled by occupants are not counted.
• Voluntary reporting: 20,945 fire departments reported 2025 incidents to NFIRS as of January 5, 2026. National estimates scale these reports using the NFPA fire department survey.
• System change: the legacy NFIRS platform was sunset on January 1, 2026 and replaced by NERIS (Virginia Department of Fire Programs). Series breaks are likely when estimates move to the new system.
• Definitions overlap: the NFPA combined count, the NFPA equipment count and the CPSC counts share many of the same fires and should not be added together.
• Endpoint index vs USFA trend: the ECW index compares 2023 with 2014. USFA's published trend percentages use its own method and can differ, as with nonresidential fires.
• Home age: no national fire series reports electrical fire rates by year built; the AHS measures are self-reported warning signs.

The record in numbers

1. US fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 46,652 home electrical structure fires in 2020 to 2024, which caused 527 civilian deaths, 1,580 injuries and $2.4 billion in direct property damage a year (NFPA, May 2026).^[7]
2. NFPA estimated 48,757 US home electrical fires in 2024, compared with 41,390 in 2010, an increase of 17.8% (ECW calculation from NFPA figures).^[7]
3. In 2024, home electrical fires were 14.8% of the 329,500 US home structure fires and caused 20.3% of the 2,920 home fire deaths (ECW calculation from NFPA estimates).^[7][8][10]
4. USFA estimated 23,700 residential building electrical malfunction fires in the US in 2023, with 305 deaths, 800 injuries and $1.5 billion in dollar loss.^[1]
5. Electrical malfunction was the fourth leading cause of US residential building fires and the third leading cause of residential fire deaths in 2023 (USFA).^[3][4]
6. Across 2014 to 2023, electrical malfunction fires were 6.6% of US residential building fires but 9.4% of residential fire deaths (ECW calculation from USFA estimates).^[1][2]
7. US residential electrical malfunction fires caused 10.6 deaths and 35.9 injuries per 1,000 fires in 2014 to 2023, against 7.5 deaths and 30.9 injuries per 1,000 for all residential building fires (ECW calculation).^[1][2]
8. The average US residential electrical malfunction fire caused $63,359 in dollar loss in 2023, 1.94 times the $32,694 average for all residential building fires (ECW calculation, nominal dollars).^[1][2]
9. Installed wiring was involved in 8,200 unintentional US residential fires a year in 2021 to 2023, 44.3% of the 18,500 fires involving electrical distribution equipment (CPSC Table 4a).^[11]
10. Cords and plugs were involved in 1,700 US residential fires a year in 2021 to 2023 and 50 deaths, or 29.4 deaths per 1,000 fires, the highest rate among electrical distribution items (ECW calculation from CPSC).^[11]
11. Between midnight and 8 a.m., US home electrical fires accounted for 22% of fires but 52% of civilian deaths in 2020 to 2024 (NFPA).^[7]
12. December, January and February together accounted for 28% of US home electrical fires and 39% of the deaths in 2020 to 2024 (NFPA).^[7]
13. In 2023, 9.1% of occupied US homes built before 1960 reported a blown fuse or tripped breaker in the prior three months, against 6.2% of homes built 2000 to 2009 (ECW tabulation of the American Housing Survey).^[20]
14. Of 159 CPSC recalls naming a fire hazard between January 1, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 11 (6.9%) involved electrical distribution, wiring or lighting products and 33 (20.8%) involved batteries, chargers, power banks, e-bikes or scooters (ECW classification).^[12]

Rates we calculated

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In short

• NFPA counts an annual average of 46,652 US home electrical fires in 2020 to 2024, with 527 civilian deaths, 1,580 injuries and $2.4 billion in damage per year.
• Published US counts range from 18,400 to 56,900 fires a year because CPSC, NFPA and USFA define an electrical fire differently; the NFPA combined count is 1.97 times the USFA electrical malfunction count.
• Under the USFA definition, electrical malfunction caused 6.6% of residential building fires but 9.4% of residential fire deaths over 2014 to 2023 (ECW calculation).
• With 2014 set to 100, residential electrical malfunction fires stood at 99.2 in 2023 while all residential fires fell to 90.8, so electrical fires are a growing share of a shrinking total.
• Electrical malfunction fires caused 10.6 deaths per 1,000 fires against 7.5 for all residential fires over 2014 to 2023, a ratio of 1.42.
• Installed wiring accounts for 44.3% of fires involving electrical distribution equipment (CPSC, 2021 to 2023); cords and plugs cause the most deaths per fire at 29.4 per 1,000.
• Fires between midnight and 8 a.m. are 22% of home electrical fires but 52% of the deaths (NFPA, 2020 to 2024).
• CPSC issued 11 fire-hazard recalls of electrical distribution, wiring and lighting products between January 1, 2025 and October 26, 2026, covering about 322,393 units.

Common questions

Keep reading

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• Electrical license lookup
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• Zinsco Panel, Federal Pacific and Circuit Breaker Recalls: What Agencies and Courts Found
• Electrical panel upgrade cost: what lab, utility and program data show in 2026
• All electrical contractor data

How we built this report

Selection: the report uses national estimates from the three US bodies that publish electrical fire counts: the U.S. Fire Administration (NFIRS-based estimates by cause, 2014 to 2023), NFPA Research (Home Electrical Fires, May 2026, and related reports) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (2021 to 2023 Residential Fire Loss Estimates, October 2026). All three rely on fire department reports to NFIRS scaled with the NFPA fire department experience survey. ESFI is included as a Tier 2 trade body only to show an undated figure in circulation.

Inclusion and exclusion: only fires attended by US fire departments are covered. CPSC figures exclude intentional fires. USFA residential buildings include hotels, dormitories and care facilities; NFPA homes include one- and two-family homes, manufactured homes and apartments. NFPA tables are copyrighted, so the report cites NFPA headline figures and a small number of single-year values and links to the report rather than reproducing its tables.

Conflicting numbers: no single figure is treated as the correct count. Each count is reported with its publisher, definition, scope and period in Table t3_definitions. The NFPA $2.4 billion headline equals the average of its inflation-adjusted series (2024 dollars); its nominal average is $2,234 million. CPSC gives 18,400 electrical distribution fires in its executive summary and Table 1a and 18,500 in Table 4a; shares by item use the Table 4a total.

Derived metrics: shares, rates per 1,000 fires, dollar loss per fire and the 2014 = 100 index are computed in scripts/build_data.py from the USFA series transcribed into fact_sheet.csv; every formula and input row is listed in derived_metrics.csv. Recall counts come from scripts/cpsc_recalls.py using the keyless SaferProducts.gov API with a manual product review. AHS 2023 shares are weighted with the public use file WEIGHT variable for occupied interviews in scripts/ahs_electrical_by_age.py; the national blown-fuse share matches the Census published verification estimate of 10,429 thousand homes.

Limitations: USFA cause estimates end with 2023 data and the NFIRS platform was replaced by NERIS on January 1, 2026, so future series may break. Many fire deaths have undetermined causes. Item-level death counts are small and rounded. The AHS measures are self-reported warning signs, not fires, and sampling error is not shown.

Last update: 2026-10-26. Sources were opened on that date; copies are saved in the report's raw folder.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.

Sources by tier

Tier 1: primary and official sources (22)

• [1] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Residential Building Electrical Malfunction Fire Trends (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023 (page last reviewed Feb. 14, 2025). Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [2] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Residential Fire Estimate Summaries (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023 (page last reviewed Feb. 14, 2025). Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [3] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Residential Building Fire Causes (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [4] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Residential Building Fire Death Causes (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [5] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Nonresidential Building Electrical Malfunction Fire Trends (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [6] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Topical Fire Report Series Vol. 19, Issue 8: Residential Building Electrical Fires (2014-2016), December 2018. 2014 to 2016 (NFIRS 5.0). Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [7] National Fire Protection Association (NFPA Research). Home Electrical Fires, Tucker McGree, May 2026. 2020 to 2024 annual averages; 2010 to 2024 trend. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [8] National Fire Protection Association (NFPA Research). Home Electrical Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2026. 2010 to 2024. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [9] National Fire Protection Association (NFPA Research). Home Structure Fires, Shelby Hall and Tucker McGree, August 2025. 2019 to 2023 annual averages. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [10] National Fire Protection Association (NFPA Research). Fire Loss in the United States During 2024, Shelby Hall, November 2025. 2024. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [11] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 2021 to 2023 Residential Fire Loss Estimates, David Miller, October 2026. 2021 to 2023 (unintentional residential structure fires). Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [12] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (SaferProducts.gov). CPSC Recalls REST API, recalls dated 2025-01-01 to 2026-10-26. January 1, 2025 to October 26, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [13] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Recall 26-278: High Bay Linear LED Light Fixtures Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (February 26, 2026). Recall dated 2026-02-26. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [14] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Recall 26-599: Metalux Optimized High Bay LED Light Fixtures Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (July 2, 2026). Recall dated 2026-07-02. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [15] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Recall 26-346: Power Strips Recalled Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Fire (March 26, 2026). Recall dated 2026-03-26. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [16] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). NERIS FAQ: Basics, Overview and Transition. Current page. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [17] Virginia Department of Fire Programs. National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS): The NFIRS to NERIS Transition. Current page. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [18] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS): reporting participation 2025. 2025 incidents, data as of Jan. 5, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [19] NFPA Public Education Division (copy published by the Kentucky Division of Fire Prevention). Electrical Safety tip sheet. Tip sheet dated 2016. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [20] U.S. Census Bureau and HUD. American Housing Survey 2023, National Public Use File v1.1 (household.csv). 2023 survey. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [21] U.S. Census Bureau. 2023 AHS Definitions (blown fuses, exposed wiring). 2023 survey. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [22] U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Nonresidential Fire Estimate Summaries (2014-2023). 2014 to 2023. Accessed 2026-10-26.

Tier 2: trade bodies, market research, company data (1)

• [23] Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). Home Electrical Fires (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-10-02; live page blocked automated access). Undated figures. Accessed 2026-10-26.