Average Cooking Fire Claim Tops $30,000

Cooking fires far exceed most home-related fires, and they are more expensive to repair. Fires that start on the stove outpace appliance, fireplace, smoking, candle or furnace fires.

According to claims data compiled by Nationwide Insurance, the average cooking fire claim damage is more than $30,000; four times higher than the next most expensive type of homeowners claim.

“Seventeen percent of all Nationwide Insurance residential fire insurance claims were caused by cooking last year,” said Mark Pizzi, president & COO of Nationwide Insurance. “We’ve learned a lot from our response to fires over the past few years. Having a plan and taking small steps now can go a long way toward preventing the unthinkable.”

The insurer found that March – followed by April, December, October and May – were the months with the most kitchen fire claims.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), one in 22 households will have a cooking fire each year. Cooking is involved in an estimated 156,400 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments. These fires caused:

• 420 deaths;

• 5310 injuries;

• $993 million in direct property damage;

• 16 percent of home fire deaths, 40 percent of home injuries and 15 percent of direct property damage in 2010.

Source: Nationwide Insurance