A demonstration at the Consumer Product Safety Commission Labs demonstrated how a small fire can turn potentially deadly, quickly.
New numbers released by the CPSC and U.S. Fire Administration estimate there are almost 367,000 unintentional house fires annually.
Those lead to more than 2,300 deaths, more than 12,000 injuries and more than seven billion dollars in property damage.
The most common cause of house fires is carelessness in the kitchen.
In a matter of minutes, a toppled bag of groceries on a hot stove top can go up in flames. 40 percent of the fires are caused by kitchen fires. So we say never leave your kitchen while you're cooking. Never leave anything unattended and if you do that, you can reduce the hazard significantly.
Other dangers in the cooler weather include portable space heaters, which can become problems if they smolder and spark too close to curtains.
It's also a good idea to have home heating equipment, fireplaces and chimneys inspected by a professional once per year.
Also, check smoke alarm batteries regularly and have a fire escape route in case of emergency.
