US NFPA says electrical wiring, lighting and related installations cause 5 000 home fires, cost 250 M$ per year. Data for 2015-2019 identifies nearly 33 000 home fires caused by electrical distribution and lighting equipment (for the period), leading to 430 civilian deaths and 1.5 billion US$ direct property damage. Wiring accounted for two-thirds of these home fires, with peak months in winter, suggesting that overloading of wiring by heating appliances are a significant cause, along with faulty wiring, which is often hidden so that initial problems are not visible. The item identified as first ignited in around a third of the fires was wiring, and building parts in a further third, underlining the importance of not having combustible building materials in proximity to electrical wiring or equipment.
“Home Fires Caused by Electrical Distribution and Lighting Equipment”, Richard Campbell, NFPA Journal Winter 2022 https://www.nfpa.org/journal and report February 2022 https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Electrical/Electrical