107 Fires. Three Years. All Started by Cats.
The Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters released data that should make every cat owner reconsider leaving their pet unsupervised: between January 2019 and November 2021, cats started 107 house fires in Seoul alone.
The cause? Cats jumping on touch-sensitive electric stove buttons.
Nearly half of these fires -- 52 out of 107 -- broke out while the owners were not home. Four people were injured. The fires are not slowing down, either. Seoul logged 31 pet-caused fires in the first nine months of 2019, up from just 8 in all of 2016. By 2022, that number climbed to 157.
How a Cat Burns Down Your Kitchen
Modern electric stoves use flat touch-sensitive panels instead of traditional knobs. A cat's paw pressing down on the panel activates the burner. Paper towels, dish rags, plastic containers -- anything left on the stovetop becomes fuel. The owner is at work. The cat is curious. The house catches fire.
South Korean fire officials recommended using stoves with automatic lock functions and removing all combustible items from stovetops. Useful advice, but it also highlights a fundamental problem: owning a cat means baby-proofing your entire kitchen against an animal that can reach every surface.
The Problem Is Global
This is not a South Korea problem. It is a cat problem.
The NFPA in the United States estimates pets cause roughly 1,000 home fires per year nationwide. Cats are disproportionately responsible.
On January 14, 2026, surveillance video in Garland, Texas caught a cat jumping onto a kitchen stove, pressing a knob, and igniting everything on the counter. Jim Dugger of the Garland Fire Department told reporters the fire spread to appliances, the kitchen door, and the ceiling within seconds.
In Marysville, Washington in December 2024, a cat knocked over a candle, causing $35,000 in damage and hospitalizing a 76-year-old woman for smoke inhalation.
In Levant, Maine in October 2025, a cat knocked over a candle and set a television on fire.
The Real Safety Recommendation
Seoul officials told residents to lock their stove panels and keep flammable objects away from burners. The Garland Fire Department told Texans to keep stovetops clear. These are the recommendations of agencies that cannot say the obvious part out loud.
The common variable in every one of these fires is not the stove. It is not the candle. It is not the paper towel.
It is the cat.
Sources:
HuffPost: South Korean Officials Warn Cats Starting Fires by Turning On Stoves
South China Morning Post: Cats Cause 107 House Fires in 3 Years
Fox News: Garland, Texas Cat Fire