Bedtime Fire Safety Checks: A Nightly Routine for Your Home

A fire that starts while you are asleep is the one you are least able to respond to. Fire and rescue services across the UK make the same point: you are more at risk from a fire when asleep, because you get less warning to escape¹. That is why they ask every household to run a short set of checks before going to bed, every night. It takes a few minutes.

The core routine is the same wherever you live. Close internal doors at night to stop a fire from spreading². Switch off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on, like a freezer, and do not leave the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher running overnight and unattended². Put candles and cigarettes out properly, check the cooker is off, turn heaters off and put up fireguards, and keep exits and stairs clear³.

None of this replaces a working smoke alarm. When you are asleep it takes longer to become aware of the signs of fire, and without working smoke alarms you may not know there is a fire until it is too late⁴. Test your alarms every week⁵, and if you have not thought through how you would get out, build that into the same routine: see our guide to making a fire escape plan.

Your bedtime fire safety checklist

Run through this list in the same order each night, so it becomes habit rather than a decision. Each item is drawn from fire and rescue service guidance, and the sections below explain why each one matters.

1. Close all internal doors. This slows the spread of fire and smoke and helps protect your escape route².
2. Switch off and unplug non-essential electrical appliances. Only leave something on overnight if it is designed to be left on, such as a fridge or freezer⁶.
3. Make sure the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher are off. Do not run them overnight and unattended².
4. Check the cooker is turned off³.
5. Turn heaters off and put up fireguards. Use child-proof fireguards in front of an open fire or heater³.
6. Extinguish open fires and stoves properly, and put candles and cigarettes out properly³.
7. Keep exits and stairways clear of large items and trip hazards³.
8. Check door and window keys are where everyone can find them⁷.
9. If anyone in the home has mobility issues, have mobility aids and a way to call for help, such as an emergency pendant, close to hand².

Why a fire at night is more dangerous

The danger is not that fires behave differently at night. It is that you do. Fire services are blunt about it: you are more at risk if a fire starts when you are asleep¹, and when you are asleep it takes longer to become aware of the signs of fire⁴. Without working smoke alarms, you may not know there is a fire until it is too late⁴.

A lot of fires start at night, which is why the checks before bed matter¹¹. Many fires happen at night when occupants are asleep¹², and the risk is compounded because you get less warning to escape¹². If a fire breaks out at night, you will not smell the smoke and wake up: the poisonous fumes send you deeper into sleep¹³. People who live alone, have a disability or impaired mobility may be at greater risk¹⁴.

That shapes what the bedtime check is for. It is not mainly about preventing a fire starting, though it helps with that. It is about removing the things that turn a small fire into a fast one while you are unconscious: an open door, a tumble dryer running in a back room, a candle left burning on a windowsill. Closing doors and switching appliances off at night reduces the risk of fire and smoke spread and protects your escape routes¹⁵.

Close internal doors to stop fire and smoke spreading

Closing internal doors is the single most repeated piece of bedtime advice from UK fire services, and it appears in guidance from every nation. Close internal doors at night to stop a fire from spreading¹⁶. Close them to help slow the spread of fire and smoke¹⁷. Close all internal doors at night to stop any fire from spreading¹⁸. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service gives the same advice¹⁹, as does guidance for students in Lincolnshire²⁰.

There are two reasons. The first is escape. Closing doors reduces fire and smoke spread and protects escape routes¹⁵, and it helps keep the stairs free from smoke³. In a house fire, smoke in the stairs is what stops people getting out; a closed door at the bottom of the stairs holds it back for a time. The second reason is comfort and cost: closing internal doors at night will help keep your rooms warm and reduce fire and smoke spread if a fire starts²¹.

A few practical points:

• Close the doors of rooms you are not using, not just the front room. A closed door on a utility room or study is doing the same job.
• Do not lock internal doors or leave keys in a way that stops someone getting out. The point is to slow fire, not to trap people.
• Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them⁷, and tell overnight guests where the keys are kept⁹.
• If you live in a flat, the front door and the doors onto the communal corridor are part of the building's fire strategy. Our guide to fire safety in blocks of flats covers what not to change.

Switch off and unplug: what must not run overnight

The rule is simple: switch off appliances at night unless they are designed to be left on, like fridges or freezers⁸. Only leave appliances switched on overnight if they are designed to do so⁶. Everything else, from the television to the phone charger, comes off or comes out of the socket.

The appliances fire services single out are the wet ones. Do not leave the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher on overnight and unattended². Do not run appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers overnight⁷. These are the machines that combine heat, lint, motors and a long unattended run, often in a utility room or kitchen at the far end of the house. If you rely on an overnight wash to get everything done, move it to the evening while you are still up, or to the morning.

Charging is worth its own note. Fire services advise charging devices while you are awake and nearby, and avoiding charging overnight or when you are out of the house²². Covering a device while it is charging traps heat and increases fire risk²². If you do charge a phone by the bed, keep it on a hard surface, uncovered, and unplug it when it is done. For the wider picture on batteries, see our guides to e-bikes and e-scooters and to electrical fires.

Candles, cigarettes, cookers and open fires

Most of the remaining bedtime items are about naked flames and heat sources. Put candles and cigarettes out properly⁹. Extinguish cigarettes and candles before going to bed at night²⁰. Always carry out a night-time check by extinguishing cigarettes and candles, switching off electrics and closing all doors²³.

Smoking deserves particular care at bedtime. Take extra care if you smoke when you are tired, as it is easy to fall asleep with a cigarette burning and set your bed, sofa or clothes on fire²⁴. Take extra care when you are tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol, because it is very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning²⁵. Never smoke in bed²³. Our guide to smoking, matches and lighters goes further.

For open fires and stoves, always use a fire guard with an open fire to protect against flying sparks from hot embers²¹, and put up fireguards at night³. Ensure you have child-proof fireguards in front of an open fire or heaters³. Extinguish open fires and stoves properly before bed³.

If someone in the home has mobility issues

If you or anyone else in the home has mobility issues, ensure mobility aids and methods of calling for help, like emergency pendants, are close to hand². Keep them close in case help is needed to assist with an escape¹⁸. That means the walking frame beside the bed rather than across the room, the pendant worn rather than on the charger, and a phone within reach.

Everyone should do bedtime fire safety checks, but they are particularly important for anyone who might not quickly detect or escape from a fire². If that describes you or someone you care for, your local fire and rescue service can help beyond the checklist. Safe and Well visits, offered by services including Surrey, cover cooking and smoking, heaters and heating, candles and fireplaces, detection systems, bedtime checks, what to do if there is a fire, and extra help and support²⁶. Eligibility includes people who smoke at home, are over 60, live alone, have limited mobility, a hearing impairment or are blind or partially sighted, would have difficulty escaping a fire, have had a fire before, have learning disabilities, a mental health condition such as dementia or depression, drug or alcohol dependencies, lack alarms in all areas where a fire might start, or collect or hoard²⁶.

In Northern Ireland, an online Home Fire Safety Check asks about the home, who lives there, working smoke alarms, everyday activities such as cooking and heating, mobility, physical and mental health, sensory impairment, clutter and learning disability²⁷. If your home is identified as being at greater risk, you will be referred for an in-person Home Fire Safety Check where NIFRS personnel will visit to provide further practical fire safety advice¹⁴. In England, an online home fire safety check developed through a partnership between the National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire Kills and Safelincs is available²⁷, and an in-person visit includes discussion of fire risks, tailored advice, assessment of the need for smoke alarms and fitting as many as required, showing how to test them safely, and discussion of a fire escape plan specific to your home⁵. Our guide to fire risk checks for a vulnerable person's home sets out how to prepare.

Getting around safely at night

One more item belongs in the routine if anyone gets up in the dark. Fit a night light, have a torch or fit an easy to use switch on your bedside light, and avoid moving around in the dark²⁸. A fall on the stairs at night is its own emergency, and a torch by the bed is also what you need if the power fails. Our guide to emergency lighting at home covers torches and lanterns, and explains why candles are a poor substitute.