Contents
- Grill related home fires statistics: how many fires, deaths, injuries, and property losses occur?
- Grill related home fires statistics by fuel type: gas, charcoal, and electric grills
- Grill related home fires statistics by location: balconies, patios, and outdoor areas
- Grill related home fires statistics: causes and contributing factors
- Grill related home fires statistics by month: when incidents peak
- Grill related home fires statistics: emergency-department injuries and what the counts represent
- Sources
Grill related home fires statistics: how many fires, deaths, injuries, and property losses occur?
U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 10,600 home structure and outdoor fires involving grills each year during 2014–2018. The scope includes fires at home properties involving grills; it is not a count of every fire involving a grill in every setting. The estimate combines fires in or on structures with fires classified as outside or unclassified. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
Across that same period, the annual averages were 10 civilian deaths, 160 civilian injuries, and $149 million in direct property damage. These are estimates for the combined home-fire scope, and the report’s casualty figures count civilians. The reported direct property damage is a monetary loss measure; it does not describe indirect costs or losses outside the stated estimate. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
| Fire category | Estimated annual fires | Civilian deaths | Civilian injuries | Direct property damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In or on structures | 4,900 (46% of fires) | All reported deaths | 100 (64% of injuries) | $135 million (91% of damage) |
| Outside or unclassified | 5,700 (54% of fires) | — | 60 | $14 million |
The structural category accounted for about 4,900 fires annually, or 46% of the total. All grill-fire deaths and $135 million in annual direct property damage were associated with fires involving structures. The 100 structural-fire injuries represented 64% of the reported civilian injuries. Outside and unclassified fires averaged 5,700 per year and accounted for 60 civilian injuries and $14 million in direct damage annually. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
The categories describe where fires were classified, not a ranking of individual incidents by severity. A fire count, injury count, and damage estimate answer different questions: the number of incidents, the civilian harm reported, and the estimated direct property loss. The distinction between structural and outside or unclassified fires matters throughout the breakdowns below because fuel, origin, and contributing-factor tables sometimes report these groups separately. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
Grill related home fires statistics by fuel type: gas, charcoal, and electric grills
Gas-fueled grills were involved in an estimated 8,900 combined structure and outside or unclassified home fires per year on average during 2014–2018, representing 84% of that combined fire estimate. The supporting table separates gas into heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air categories, while also listing charcoal or coal and electric grills. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
| Grill power source | Combined fires per year, average | Share of combined fires | Civilian injuries per year | Direct property damage per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All gas-fueled | 8,900 (84%) | 84% | 130 (81%) | $111 million (75%) |
| LP gas or other heavier-than-air gas | 7,700 (73%) | 73% | — | — |
| Natural gas or other lighter-than-air gas | 1,000 (9%) | 9% | — | — |
| Charcoal or coal | 1,100 (10%) | 10% | — | — |
| Electric | 300 (3%) | 3% | — | — |
The gas total includes 7,700 fires involving LP gas or another heavier-than-air gas grill and 1,000 involving natural gas or another lighter-than-air gas grill. Charcoal or coal grills were involved in 1,100 fires per year on average, while electric grills were involved in 300. These are the table’s reported estimates and shares for the combined structure plus outside or unclassified fire grouping. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
For all gas-fueled grills in the combined grouping, the table reports 130 civilian injuries annually on average, or 81% of the injuries, and $111 million in direct property damage, or 75% of the damage. Those figures are paired with the gas-fueled category across both fire classifications; they should not be read as structure-fire-only values. The fuel rows are useful for describing how incidents were categorized, but the table does not establish that one fuel type is more dangerous per grill, cooking session, or household. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
Grill related home fires statistics by location: balconies, patios, and outdoor areas
The area-of-origin tables show where fires began, with separate counts for structure fires and outside or unclassified fires. Among structure fires, an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch was the reported origin for an average of 1,400 grill fires per year, or 29%. These incidents accounted for $59 million in direct property damage annually, 44% of the structural-fire damage reported in that table. A courtyard, terrace, or patio was the origin for 1,300 structure fires annually, or 27%. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
| Area where fire began | Structure fires per year | Outside or unclassified fires per year |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior balcony or unenclosed porch | 1,400 (29%) | 800 (13%) |
| Courtyard, terrace, or patio | 1,300 (27%) | 2,100 (37%) |
| Kitchen or cooking area | 300 (6%) | — |
| Unclassified outside area | — | 1,500 (26%) |
For outside or unclassified fires, a courtyard, terrace, or patio was the reported origin in an average of 2,100 incidents per year, or 37%. An unclassified outside area was recorded for 1,500 fires, or 26%, and an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch for 800 fires, or 13%. These labels preserve the source’s distinctions: an unclassified outside area is not interchangeable with a named patio or balcony. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
Fuel-specific origin counts add detail to those overall locations. Among gas-fueled grill structure fires, 1,100 per year began on an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch (27%), and 1,200 began in a courtyard, terrace, or patio (30%). For solid-fueled grill structure fires, 300 began on a balcony or unenclosed porch (43%), while 100 began in a courtyard, terrace, or patio (18%). The percentages have their own fuel-specific fire groups as denominators, so they are not shares of all grill fires. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
Grill related home fires statistics: causes and contributing factors
The supporting tables list factors contributing to ignition. For structure fires, failure to clean was listed for an annual average of 1,400 fires (29%). Equipment unattended and a heat source too close to something combustible were each listed for 800 fires (16% apiece); leak or break was listed for 400 (8%). These are factor entries, not mutually exclusive causes. NFPA notes that multiple entries are allowed, so one fire may appear under more than one factor. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
| Fire group and factor | Fires per year, average | Reported share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure: failure to clean | 1,400 | 29% |
| Structure: equipment unattended | 800 | 16% |
| Structure: heat source too close to combustible | 800 | 16% |
| Structure: leak or break | 400 | 8% |
| Outside or unclassified: failure to clean | 1,300 | 22% |
| Outside or unclassified: leak or break | 1,100 | 19% |
| Outside or unclassified: equipment unattended | 600 | 11% |
| Outside or unclassified: heat source too close to combustible | 600 | 10% |
For outside or unclassified fires, failure to clean was listed for 1,300 fires annually (22%), and leak or break for 1,100 (19%). Equipment unattended was listed for 600 (11%), as was a heat source too close to something combustible (10%). The rates and counts refer to this outside or unclassified group. The table does not establish a single cause for each fire, and the overlapping factor entries should not be added to produce a total number of incidents. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
The fuel-specific factor tables report several further patterns. For gas-fueled structure fires, failure to clean was listed for 1,300 fires per year (33%), heat source too close to combustible for 500 (13%), leak or break for 400 (10%), and equipment unattended for 600 (15%). For gas-fueled outside or unclassified fires, failure to clean was listed for 1,200 (25%), leak or break for 1,100 (22%), and heat source too close to combustible for 300 (7%). NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
For solid-fueled grill structure fires, failure to clean was listed for 1,200 incidents per year (25%). Among solid-fueled outside or unclassified fires, a heat source too close to combustible was listed for 200 fires annually (30%). These percentages are tied to the specific fuel and fire classification shown. Taken together, the tables identify commonly recorded contributing factors while retaining the reporting limits: factor records can overlap, and the figures do not show the circumstances of every individual incident. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
Grill related home fires statistics by month: when incidents peak
The report’s monthly distribution covers 2014–2018. July had the largest share of home grill fires, at 18%, followed by June at 15%, May at 13%, August at 12%, and September at 10%. These values describe the share of fires by month across the report period, rather than an annual fire count for any one month. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
The remaining monthly shares shown in the figure are October at 6%, March at 6%, February at 4%, November at 4%, January at 3%, and December at 3%. The distribution places the peak in summer, but it is historical and does not describe a current calendar year. The figures do not provide a year-by-year monthly trend or explain why the monthly shares differ. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
| Month | Share of home grill fires, 2014–2018 |
|---|---|
| January | 3% |
| February | 4% |
| March | 6% |
| May | 13% |
| June | 15% |
| July | 18% |
| August | 12% |
| September | 10% |
| October | 6% |
| November | 4% |
| December | 3% |
The monthly figure’s source series also includes April at 8%. The sequence shows that the share rose from 8% in April to 13% in May and 15% in June before reaching 18% in July; it then declined to 12% in August and 10% in September. This is a description of the reported distribution, not evidence about seasonal causes or future incident levels. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
Grill related home fires statistics: emergency-department injuries and what the counts represent
A separate measure estimates that an average of 19,700 people per year went to hospital emergency departments for injuries associated with grills or barbecues during 2014–2018. This estimate comes from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) and is not limited to injuries caused by home fires. It covers grill-associated emergency-department visits, so it should not be combined with the 160 annual civilian injuries in the fire estimates as if the two measures shared the same scope. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020
Within the NEISS thermal-injury estimates, thermal burns accounted for 9,500 emergency-department injuries per year on average. The supporting tables break those burns into 5,200 contact burns or burns with no fire or flame spread and 4,300 fire or flame burns. These annual averages cover listed grill and grill/stove product codes. They concern emergency-department injuries associated with those products, not only injuries connected to a home fire. NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
| Emergency-department injury measure | Estimated annual average, 2014–2018 |
|---|---|
| People with injuries associated with grills or barbecues | 19,700 |
| Thermal burns | 9,500 |
| Contact burns or burns with no fire or flame spread | 5,200 |
| Fire or flame burns | 4,300 |
The measures answer related but distinct questions. The 19,700 figure covers people treated in emergency departments for grill- or barbecue-associated injuries; the thermal-injury table provides estimates for burn categories within listed product codes. The 160 civilian injuries figure elsewhere in this article, by contrast, belongs to the estimate of home structure and outdoor fires involving grills. Keeping those populations and methods separate preserves what each statistic says without implying that every emergency-department injury involved a fire or that every fire-related injury resulted in an emergency-department visit. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020; NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020
NFPA identifies grills in its fire estimates using the NFIRS equipment-involved-in-ignition code 643, covering grills, hibachis, or barbecues. The estimates combine NFIRS records with NFPA’s annual fire-department survey, cover home properties, and exclude federal and state fire departments and industrial fire brigades. The report is dated May 2020, and its fire and injury averages described here cover 2014–2018. NFPA, Home Grill Fires, May 2020; NFPA, Home Grill Fires: Supporting Tables, May 2020