When fire breaks out, you have very little time to act. Most fatal home fires kill within minutes, not hours, and nearly 60% of home fire deaths happen in properties with no working smoke alarms. Knowing exactly what to do before, during, and after a fire can be the difference between a close call and a catastrophe.
Get Out Immediately
The moment you hear a smoke alarm, smell smoke, or see flames, leave the building. Don’t stop to grab belongings, don’t investigate the source, and don’t assume it’s a false alarm. Use the nearest exit and move quickly but without running blindly. Every second counts because fire and toxic smoke spread faster than most people expect.
Never use an elevator during a fire. Elevators can malfunction, open on a floor engulfed in flames, or fill with smoke. Always take the stairs. In high-rise buildings, safety officials may designate one stairwell for occupants and reserve another for firefighters, so listen for instructions over the building’s announcement system or from emergency personnel.
Once you’re outside, go to a designated meeting spot so everyone can be accounted for. Report any missing people, injuries, or hazardous conditions to emergency responders. Do not re-enter the building for any reason until firefighters confirm it is safe.
Stay Low to Avoid Smoke
Smoke and toxic gases rise, which means the air closest to the floor is the cleanest and coolest during a fire. If you encounter smoke while evacuating, drop to your hands and knees and crawl toward the exit. Cover your nose and mouth with a cloth if possible. Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of fire deaths, often incapacitating people before the flames ever reach them.
Before opening any closed door, feel it with the back of your hand. If the door or handle is hot, fire is likely on the other side. Leave it closed and find another way out.
If You’re Trapped in a Room
If fire or smoke blocks every exit and you can’t get out, your priority shifts to buying time and signaling for help. Close the door to the room you’re in. Then grab sheets, blankets, towels, or clothing and stuff them tightly under the door and around the edges to slow smoke from seeping in.
Move to a window. Open it if you can and yell for help. Use a flashlight, a phone screen, or room lights to signal firefighters. If the window doesn’t open, don’t break it unless smoke in the room is unbearable, because a broken window can also let outside smoke or flames in. Stay as low to the floor as possible while you wait for rescue.
If Your Clothes Catch Fire
The instinct when your clothing ignites is to run. That’s the worst thing you can do. Running fans the flames with fresh air and makes them spread faster. Instead, follow three steps: stop, drop, and roll.
- Stop exactly where you are. Stay calm and resist the urge to run or wave your arms.
- Drop to the ground immediately and lie flat with your legs straight. Cover your eyes and mouth with your hands to protect your face. Don’t waste time looking for a good spot on the floor.
- Roll over completely, back and forth, until the flames are smothered. Keep your face covered the entire time.
Using a Fire Extinguisher Safely
A portable fire extinguisher can handle a small, contained fire, like a wastebasket or a small stovetop flame. But only attempt this if the fire is small, you have a clear escape route behind you, and you’ve already called 911 or someone else has. If the fire is spreading across a wall or ceiling, skip the extinguisher and evacuate.
The technique is easy to remember with the acronym PASS: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire (not the top of the flames), Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side. Start from a safe distance and move closer as the fire dies down. Most household extinguishers last only 10 to 20 seconds, so act quickly.
Know What Not to Put on a Fire
Not all fires respond to the same treatment, and using the wrong approach can make things dramatically worse. The two most common household mistakes involve grease fires and electrical fires.
Never throw water on a grease fire. Water hitting superheated cooking oil causes an explosive steam reaction that sprays burning grease in every direction. Instead, slide a metal lid over the pan to smother it, or use a fire extinguisher rated for kitchen fires. Turn off the burner if you can do so safely.
For electrical fires, water creates a serious electrocution risk. Unplug the device or shut off the circuit breaker if you can reach it safely. Use a fire extinguisher rated for electrical fires. If you’re unsure what type of extinguisher you have, check the label for a “C” rating, which indicates it’s safe for electrical fires.
Why Working Smoke Alarms Matter
The single most effective thing you can do before a fire ever starts is make sure your smoke alarms work. The death rate in homes with working smoke alarms is roughly 60% lower than in homes without them. Yet 43% of home fire deaths occur in properties with no smoke alarms at all, and another 16% happen where alarms are present but fail to operate, usually because of dead or missing batteries.
Hardwired smoke alarms with battery backup perform significantly better than battery-only models. Hardwired alarms activate 94% of the time in fires large enough to trigger them, compared to 85% for battery-only alarms. The death rate in homes with hardwired alarms and battery backup is 71% lower than in homes with no alarms. Two-thirds of fatal injuries in homes that did have smoke alarms occurred in properties relying on battery-only models.
Test your alarms monthly, replace batteries at least once a year, and replace the units themselves every 10 years. Between 2018 and 2022, fire departments responded to an average of over 19,000 home fires per year where smoke alarms should have worked but didn’t, resulting in roughly 400 deaths annually.
What to Do After a Fire
Once the fire is out and you’re safe, the recovery process has its own set of critical steps. Do not re-enter your home until the fire department confirms the structure is safe. Floors, walls, and ceilings may look intact but can be weakened enough to collapse. Firefighters will also check whether your utilities (gas, electricity, water) are safe. If they shut anything off, don’t try to reconnect it yourself.
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible and ask what they need from you before any cleanup begins. They may want to send an adjuster before you move or discard damaged items. Ask them for recommendations on restoration companies you can trust, and for guidance on securing the property in the meantime.
If you’ll be away from the property, notify your local police department so they know the home is unoccupied. Board up broken windows and doors to prevent break-ins. If you don’t have insurance, local disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army can help with immediate needs: food, clothing, medicine, and temporary shelter. Your local public health department and community organizations may also offer assistance.