SAN ANTONIO – Texas ranks No. 1 as the state with the most house fire fatalities in 2018, according to A Secure Life.
Texas had 99 fatal house fires from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, the dates used to calculate the number of fatalities.
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The top 10 states with most deadly home fires per capita:
1. Texas
2. New York
3. Pennsylvania
4. Illinois
5. California
6. Michigan
7. Ohio
8. North Carolina
9. Florida
10. Georgia
Texas had nine fire fatalities caused by cooking, according to A Secure Life’s data. That’s more than any other state.
North Carolina had the most fires caused by smoking and Oklahoma had the most fires caused by heating.
To find the number of residential fire fatalities in every state, A Secure Life used data from the U.S. Fire Administration to calculate the number of fatal residential fires, according to a press release.
While residential house fires are common, they are also preventable.
Smoking caused 60 fatal residential fires in the U.S. in 2018 in conjunction with the aforementioned dates.
Other causes for fatal house fires during that period:
Cooking - 49
Electrical malfunction - 29
Heating - 23
Open flame - 14
Appliances - 3
Tips to help prevent house fires:
- Smoke outside - this includes cigarettes, pipes and cigars.
- Make sure your ashtray is deep and sturdy.
- Do not discard cigarettes in mulch, potted plants, etc.
- Stay in the kitchen while cooking and check your food often.
- Ensure your chimney is clean prior to use.
- Keep flammable items like mattresses, blankets and clothing away from heat sources.
There have been 1,642 house fire-related fatalities so far this year, according to the National Fire Protection Association.