According to the U.S. Fire Administration, between 2014 and 2016, electrical fires accounted for 6.3% of all residential fires, with approximately 24,000 fires being reported each year.

KEY FACTS FROM THE USFA ELECTRICAL FIRES REPORT

Residential building electrical fires occurred most often in one- and two-family dwellings (83%).

Residential building electrical fires occurred most often in the winter month of January (12%) due to increased use of heating appliances and lights.

In only 17% of residential building electrical fires, the fire spread was limited to the object where the fire started.

Residential building electrical fires most often started in bedrooms (15%) and attics or vacant crawl spaces (13%).

Although most electrical fires start in the bedroom, the highest number of fatalities occur with fires located in the living room, family room and den.

The leading specific items most often first ignited in residential building electrical fires were electrical wire, cable insulation (31%) and structural member or framing (18%).

The leading specific factors contributing to the ignition of residential building electrical fires were other electrical failure, malfunction (43%), unspecified short-circuit arc (23%), and short-circuit arc from defective, worn insulation (11%).