Fire Safety at Home: Prevention, Escape Plan and Wildfire Prep

Quick answer

Put smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on every level. Test them monthly.
Plan two ways out of every room and practice twice a year. You may have less than 2 minutes to get out.
Use an extinguisher only on a small fire, with a clear exit behind you. Remember PASS.
Once you are out, stay out. Call 911 from outside.

A home fire moves faster than most people expect. Ready.gov says a fire can become life-threatening in just two minutes. A small flame can turn into a major fire in under 30 seconds.

That is why this guide puts prevention and escape first. Fighting a fire comes last.

Prevent the most common home fires

Cooking

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) says cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Unattended cooking is the top factor.

Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.
If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.
Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.
Keep towels, paper and anything else that burns away from the stovetop.
Keep a lid or baking sheet nearby. If a pan catches fire, slide it over the pan and turn off the burner. Leave it covered until the pan cools.
For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.

If a cooking fire spreads beyond the pan, get out, close the door behind you and call 911.

Heating

Ready.gov’s heating safety handout gives these rules:

Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet (about 1 m) from space heaters and wood stoves.
Plug space heaters straight into a wall outlet. Never use an extension cord or power strip.
Buy heaters listed by a recognized testing lab.
Have chimneys inspected and cleaned by a professional every year.
Have your furnace inspected every year.
Put fireplace ashes in a metal can with a lid. Store it outside, at least 10 feet from your home.
Refuel kerosene heaters only after they cool, and only outdoors.

Electrical

Replace worn or damaged cords right away.
Do not run cords under rugs or furniture.
Do not overload extension cords or outlets.

Candles, matches and grills

Keep candles at least 12 inches (30 cm) from anything that can burn.
Never leave a burning candle alone.
Store matches and lighters out of children’s reach, ideally in a locked cabinet.
Keep grills at least 10 feet from siding and deck railings, and out from under eaves and branches.
Never run a portable generator indoors.

For a room-by-room walk-through, see our home safety checklist.

Smoke alarms

Working smoke alarms give you the early warning you need to escape.

Task	Rule	Source
Where	Every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and every level including the basement	USFA
Best type	Interconnected alarms, so when one sounds, they all sound	USFA
Test	At least once a month	USFA, Red Cross
Batteries	At least once a year if your model needs it; Ready.gov suggests twice a year unless it has a 10-year lithium battery	Red Cross, Ready.gov
Replace	The whole alarm at 10 years old, or if it fails a test	USFA

Never take the battery out because of cooking smoke. Larger homes may need more alarms than the minimum.

USFA notes that about half of home fire deaths happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Children and older adults may not wake to an alarm. Give someone the job of waking them.

Make and practice an escape plan

USFA says you could have less than 2 minutes to escape once the smoke alarm sounds. A plan you have practiced is what gets you out in that time.

Build the plan

Draw a map of your home. Mark every door and window.
Find two ways out of every room.
Make sure windows open easily and security bars can be released from inside.
Keep exits clear of furniture and clutter.
Choose an outside meeting place in front of your home, such as a mailbox or a neighbor’s house.
Assign an adult to help each child, older adult or person with a disability.
Teach children what the alarm sounds like and never to hide from firefighters.

If someone in your home has a disability, read our guide on emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.

Practice it

Ready.gov recommends practicing your escape plan twice a year. Practice at night, too, and practice feeling your way out in the dark. Time how long it takes everyone to reach the meeting place.

What to do during a home fire

Get out fast. Do not stop to gather belongings.
Get low. Smoke and poison gases rise to the ceiling first. Crawl under the smoke to your exit.
Check doors before opening. Feel the doorknob and the door. If either is hot, or smoke is coming in around it, keep it shut and use your second way out.
Open doors slowly. Be ready to shut the door fast if smoke or heat rushes in.
Go to your meeting place. Count heads.
Call 911 from a cell phone or a neighbor’s phone.
Stay out. Do not go back in until the fire department says it is safe.

If you cannot reach someone who needs help, get out. Call 911 and tell them exactly where the person is.

If you cannot get out

Close the door between you and the fire.
Seal vents and the gaps around the door with cloth or tape.
Call 911 and tell them where you are.
Signal from a window with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight.

If your clothes catch fire

Stop, drop and roll. Stop where you are, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands. Roll until the flames are out. If someone cannot do this, smother the flames with a blanket or towel.

Cool any burn with water, cover it with a clean dry cloth and call 911 for medical help. Our basic first aid guide covers burn care in more detail.

How to use a fire extinguisher

Ready.gov advises keeping an extinguisher in the kitchen. But an extinguisher is for small fires only.

Should you fight it or leave?

USFA says to fight a fire only if all of these are true:

Everyone in the building has been alerted.
Someone has called the fire department.
You are physically able to use the extinguisher.
The fire is small and limited to one object, like a wastebasket.
You are safe from smoke.
You have a clear way out behind you.

If any answer is no, or you are unsure, get out and call 911. USFA also says young children and older adults should not use extinguishers.

PASS

Pull the pin. Hold the nozzle pointing away from you.
Aim low, at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle slowly and evenly.
Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

Choosing and checking an extinguisher

For most homes, choose a multipurpose extinguisher labeled “A-B-C.”
Look for a UL Listed label.
Pick the largest size you can handle safely.
Check the pressure gauge, and look for dents, rust or a damaged hose.
Keep it where nothing blocks it.

Wildfire basics

If you live near forest, brush or grassland, your yard is part of your fire plan. CAL FIRE splits the space around a home into three zones. It is a useful model even outside California.

Zone	Distance from home	What to do
Zone 0: Ember-resistant	0 to 5 feet	Replace bark mulch with gravel, pavers or concrete. Clear dead plants and leaves, including from roofs and gutters. Move firewood, trash bins and vehicles out of this zone.
Zone 1: Lean, clean and green	5 to 30 feet	Remove dead plants and grass. Keep branches 10 feet from the chimney. Keep 10 feet between trees. Clear growth under decks and stairs.
Zone 2: Reduce fuel	30 to 100 feet	Cut grass to 4 inches or less. Space out trees and shrubs. Keep wood piles 10 feet from anything else, on bare soil.

Rules differ by state and county. In California, Zones 1 and 2 are required by law, and some counties require more. Ask your local fire department or state forestry agency what applies to you.

When a wildfire is near

Sign up for local emergency alerts and keep checking them.
If officials tell you to leave, leave right away.
If you are trapped, call 911.
FEMA advises wearing an N95 mask to keep smoke particles out of your lungs.

Plan your routes ahead of time with our guide on how to create an effective evacuation plan.

After a fire

Do not go back inside until the fire department says it is safe.
Contact the Red Cross or other relief groups for help with housing, food and medicine.
Do not reconnect utilities yourself.
Make a list of damaged items and take photos before you throw anything away.
Save receipts for fire-related costs.
Notify your insurance company and your mortgage company.

Fire safety checklist

Sources

Home Fires — Ready.gov (FEMA)
Heating Fire Safety handout — Ready.gov / U.S. Fire Administration
Smoke alarm infographic — U.S. Fire Administration
Home Fire Escape Plans — U.S. Fire Administration
Fire Extinguishers — U.S. Fire Administration
Cooking Fire Safety — U.S. Fire Administration
Prevent Fires — U.S. Fire Administration
If You Have a Cooking Fire — North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal (with NFPA)
Two Minutes May Be All You Have to Escape a Home Fire — American Red Cross
Defensible Space — CAL FIRE
Wildfire flyer (FEMA P-2143) — FEMA / Ready.gov