Reviewed by Daniel Mirkovic
Updated October 2, 2025 | Published July 14, 2025
There are numerous fire risks inside the average house — some of them obvious, some of them hidden. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to manage your household’s fire risk and keep your family safe.
Every room in the house contains its own fire hazards. Let’s look at some of the most common flammable items in your home and how to handle them safely.
The important points
“Fire risk” can mean many things. Most things are flammable in some sense — even iron will combust if you manage to heat it to 2,400 °C.1 In your house, though, you’re worried about stuff that can easily catch fire when exposed to flame, spark, or heat.
There are two common systems for labelling hazardous materials, including flammable items: the WHMIS system (for workplace materials) and the Hazardous Household Products Symbols (HHPS). Most products inside your house will feature the latter.
In addition to the flame symbol, the border also has a meaning. An octagon border, pictured above, means the contents of a container are dangerous. A triangle border means the container itself is dangerous (though this is usually for explosive hazards).
And finally, look for these signal words that explain how serious the danger is:
Keep in mind: not everything that poses a fire risk will be labelled as such. For example, household electronics can start fires in several ways. Damaged cables can cause sparks, overloaded devices or circuits can overheat and burn, and extension cords buried under rugs can do the same.
The kitchen is the most flammable room in the house — cooking causes almost half of home structure fires.2 Some of the fire hazards in a kitchen are obvious, like the stove or oven. But many foods are actually quite flammable:
Some fire risks depend on where you store certain things. But, bathrooms are usually home to many cosmetics and cleaning chemicals that pose fire risks.
Many laundry products are not particularly flammable themselves, but can increase the risk of other fires.
Bedrooms and living rooms may not have many volatile chemicals or open flames, but they do have other fire hazards.
Garages and general storage areas are often full of flammable chemicals and cleaning supplies. Unlike other places in the home, they’re also often used to store machinery and tools capable of producing sparks or flames.
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If a small fire starts in your home, you may be able to put it out with some quick action. However, don’t hesitate to evacuate and call 9-1-1. You can repair and replace your home and your belongings — you can’t do the same with your life.
Only under all of these conditions should you consider fighting a household fire:
Everyone in the home, except the person operating the fire extinguisher, should evacuate immediately. If your instincts tell you to evacuate rather than fight the fire, listen to them — get out of the building and call the fire department.8,9
If you decide to fight the fire, call 9-1-1 first anyway. If you’re in an apartment building, activate the fire alarm. Even if you put the fire out, the fire department should still inspect the scene afterwards to ensure everything is safe. If you don’t get the fire out, at least they’ll be a few minutes closer to your home.
Unless you have a fire extinguisher (or perhaps a fire blanket) and you know how to use it, don’t attempt to fight a fire. In particular, do not attempt to put out cooking fires with water! The water will vaporize and propel flaming oil into the air, creating a massive fireball.
So your house is full of flammable products. What can you do about it? Preventing household fires is easy and mostly common sense.
Most flammable products feature storage instructions on the label. Follow those instructions! Most flammable materials are only dangerous if they’re stored or used carelessly. Keep flammable materials stored securely, well away from heat sources. Don’t store flammables near possible fuels (like your cardboard recycling bin or scrap wood pile).
When it comes to electronics, inspect them and their power cables regularly. Replace any frayed or otherwise damaged power cables.
Don’t just toss flammable materials in the trash or recycling. This creates a serious hazard for the workers transporting or handling them. Don’t pour flammable liquids down the drain, either.
Instead, check with your local recycling and trash collection organizations to find out how they prefer you to dispose of hazardous waste. Usually, it’s as simple as taking these materials to a collection facility. They’ll usually only accept materials that are clearly identifiable (in their original, labelled containers).
If your house is already built, you can’t replace the structure with fireproof materials. But, you can make a few simple changes to increase fire safety.
Smoking is unhealthy, but it’s also a serious fire risk. And not just smoking indoors — the most common area for smoking-caused house fires to start is an exterior balcony.10
If you do smoke at home, do so only outdoors. Use a deep ashtray and keep it well away from anything that may ignite. Double check that any butts or ashes are completely extinguished before walking away. While smoking, stay alert and aware of your surroundings. Smoking-related fires are more likely to start when smokers have consumed alcohol or medication that causes drowsiness.11
Keep in mind, too, that e-cigarettes have also been known to cause fires. Use these devices carefully.
Fire is destructive, and even a small one can cause serious damage to your home (not to mention the smoke damage). Fortunately, home insurance covers fire damage. In fact, fire coverage is a foundational aspect of home insurance in Canada. There are very few scenarios in which your home insurance policy won’t cover fire and smoke damage (as long as the fire was unintentional, of course).
If you own your home, your homeowner’s insurance will cover repairs to the building as well as your belongings, up to the respective coverage limits.
For condo owners, it will cover damage to your belongings and, usually, any improvements made to your unit. The building’s master insurance policy would cover structural damage to the building, though you may be issued a loss assessment to cover the deductible.
Renter’s insurance, meanwhile, covers fire and smoke damage to your belongings.
If your policy includes additional living expenses coverage, it will also help cover extra expenses if you need to move out during the fire damage repairs. That’s true for both owners and renters.
Sources
Want to learn more? Visit our Home and Personal Safety resource centre to find more information about protecting your family and your home. Or, get an online quote in under 5 minutes and find out how affordable personalized home insurance can be.
About the expert: Daniel Mirkovic
A co-founder of Square One with 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Daniel was previously vice president of the insurance and travel divisions at the British Columbia Automobile Association. Daniel has a bachelor of commerce and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) designation and a general insurance license level 3 in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
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