Survey: Potential for house fires in Columbia higher than anywhere else in South Carolina

The City of Columbia has ranked among the Top 50 cities in the nation whose residents have a high risk for a house fire.

Columbia was the only South Carolina city to make the list and ranked 41, behind Baton Rough, La., and ahead of Mobile, Ala. Detroit, Mich., topped the list compiled by The Hartford, a property and casualty insurance agency.

The agency’s survey found that Columbia residents “engage in potentially risky fire safety behavior,” such as charging a device in on their bed, according to a news release.

In the last year, 50 percent of residents admitted to leaving the kitchen while something was cooking on the stove, the release said. Another 38 percent admitted to leaving a room with a candle lit at least once during the past year.

The survey also revealed that 17 percent of city residents have experienced a home fire. The national average is 13 percent. Of those who participated in the survey, 49 percent reported that the fires were caused by cooking or their stove, 34 percent said it was electrical and 5 percent said it was a candle.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Survey: Potential for house fires in Columbia higher than anywhere else in South Carolina."