Electric recliners have been the point of origin for house fires several times over the years including two fires in May, one of which led to the death of an 88-year-old woman and her four animals.

The first was the fatal house fire in Brighton, Colorado, near Denver, that burned a home on Mother’s Day. The source of the May 11 fire was an electric recliner chair. 

The fire started around 12:30 p.m. on 132nd Avenue, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was fully engulfed in smoke, with one person trapped inside. Crews rushed in, rescued her and began CPR, but it was unsuccessful. 88-year-old Kim Okada died from smoke inhalation.

Brighton fire investigators concluded the home had no smoke detectors and the fire started underneath an electric recliner. They determined a cord was pinched due to wear over time.

A separate fire in Louisiana was also determined to have been caused by an electric recliner and fire officials determined that a large house was caused by an electronic recliner. The fire happened on the evening of Tuesday, May 27, on Cedarbrook Drive in East Baton Rouge Parish. Firefighters responded to the scene around 8:45 p.m.

St. George Fire Department (SGFD) fire prevention chief David Hughes said the fire crews saw flames from several blocks away upon arrival, firefighters confirmed a fully involved single-story residence.

Crews immediately ensured all occupants were safely out of the home, deployed a hoseline to begin fire suppression, and raised the aerial ladder to prepare for large-scale operations. All occupants were accounted for; no injuries were reported. Two individuals were displaced as a result of the fire.

The fire was brought under control within 90 minutes, though crews remained on scene into the morning hours to monitor for hotspots.

Investigators determined the fire to be accidental, with the cause traced to an electric recliner.

Hughes, who said that this was the second such fire he had seen in the last five years, said that the couch recliner was purchased from the retailer Haverty's in 2017 and that over the years it had likely had a lot of wear and tear. "With the recliner going up and down and the vibration from the massager and all the moving parts it probably was at the end of its shelf life," he said.  "And, these pieces of furniture have a fast burn rate that can fully engulf a room in three minutes and 30 seconds. 

He suggested that people should unplug electric recliners when not in use and not plug them into extension cords. “People think if they have an appliance and it's not on, that it's not a risk. But I always remind people that as long as something is plugged into an outlet that has electricity going to it, current is still going through and it can still be a fire hazard."

Previous fires

Previous fires
While it is not clear how many fires have started by electric recliners, there have been reports of fires as well as recalls because of the threat of fires over the years.

In 2023, for instance, a fire district about an hour north of Chicago pointed to a recalled power reclining couch as the cause of a house fire.

According to the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District said they found smoke coming from the roof of a house and were able to extinguish the fire in less than six minutes. No injuries were reported.

The fire protection district posted a photo of a burned-out couch to its Facebook post, saying "do you have this couch, loveseat, or chair, please unplug it immediately."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission had recalled the Party Time Dual Power Reclining Loveseat on June 08, 2023 stating that the unit had a cupholder with LED lighting that could overheat. At the time, there were six reports of this problem resulting in fire and smoke damage to the chair and residences. 

The recall of the Signature Design by Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC Party Time Loveseats, Sofas, and Recliners affected about 253,000 units in the U.S. In addition, about 9,450 were sold in Canada. The Power Recliners are power reclining faux leather home seating units with power controls, integrated LED lighting, and USB charging ports. They are sold in black and white colors.

They were sold at Ashley Furniture both in stores and online between November 2018 and March 2023 for between $900 and $1,800 apiece.