With spring still five weeks away, the National Fire Protection Association is reminding U.S. homeowners that home-heating equipment fires peak during winter.

“Each winter, when heating systems kick into high gear, so do the number of home heating fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “Our goal is to make sure people know when and where home heating fires tend to occur, along with ways to prevent them.”

Fire departments across the nation responded to an annual estimated average of 37,365 home-heating equipment fires between 2020 and 2024, accounting for 11 percent of all reported home fires.

The fires resulted in 417 deaths, 1,260 injuries, and $1.2 billion in property damage, according to NFPA data.

Space heaters and heating stoves were responsible for the largest share of losses in home-heating equipment fires, accounting for nearly half (47 percent) of the fires, and more than seven out of 10 deaths (73 percent) and seven out of 10 (70 percent) injuries.

With people spending more time indoors, households are cooking more, which represents the leading cause of home fires year-round.

“With winter storm alerts currently stretching 2,000 miles across central, southern, and northeastern portions of the United States, it’s a good time to make sure everyone knows how to operate a generator safely in the event of a power outage,” Carli added.