Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
10+ years in insurance and personal finance content
30+ years in media, PR, and content creation
Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri. He has years of experience in print and digital media, and strives to craft actionable, inclusive copy that fosters smart decision-making through reader autonomy. He has a journalism degree from Saint Louis University.
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
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Winter is the deadliest season for home fires, with Christmas Day and Christmas Eve seeing the second- and third-highest number of cooking fires in a year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Home fires have already claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 Americans in 2025.
Many of those deaths occurred in states that also have a high rate of uninsured homes.
“FEMA data shows that home fires peak December through February,” said Julia Taliesin, a data journalist with Insurify and author of the insurance comparison site’s report on states with the most uninsured homes. “Comparing federal data on home fires with Census Bureau data on housing shows multiple states have a concerning level of uninsured houses and higher home fire risks.”
One in seven American homes has no insurance coverage, according to the Insurify analysis of American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau. And some states with high numbers of uninsured homes also have high numbers of home fires and fatalities.
“To lose a loved one in a home fire is unimaginable,” Taliesin said. “But to also lose property without the possibility of insurance repayment would be financially and emotionally devastating.”
States with high fire deaths and high uninsured rates
A comparison of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data on 2025 home fires with Insurify’s analysis of uninsured homes data highlights 10 states with the greatest risks of fire fatalities and uninsured property losses.
Texas tops the list, with an uninsured homes rate of 17.7% and 105 fatalities so far in 2025. A high number of mortgage-free houses (44.5%) could contribute to the Lone Star State’s high rate of uninsured homes.
Heating is the top known cause of home fires in Texas.
In Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, fire risks and uninsured property risks are both high. In many states with high rates of uninsured property, insurance costs and lower median household incomes are factors.
For example, Louisiana and Florida have the most expensive home insurance costs in the country, according to Insurify data. Louisiana homeowners spend 8% of their income on home insurance, according to Insurify’s report. Floridians spend the same percentage of their income to insure their homes. The state also has the highest average home insurance costs in the country, Insurify’s data shows.
Fire risks flare beginning with the holiday season
FEMA data indicates 36% of annual fire deaths occur in the winter (December–February), when more Americans rely on heating sources. Heating equipment, electrical hazards, and closed-up homes contribute to winter fire fatalities.
While many of 2025’s fatalities are still under investigation, smoking, heating, cooking, and electrical malfunctions stand out among those with a determined cause. In the top uninsured states, heating, in particular, emerges as a leading identified cause of home fires.
Homeowners in lower-income states may be at significant fire risk, especially if they rely on space heaters for warmth during the winter. Affordability can also affect how well-maintained a home’s heating system is.
What’s next? Reducing winter fire and financial risks
Homeowners can take some steps to reduce their risk of home fires this winter.
When using a portable electric space heater, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for where to place the heater. Keep heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can catch fire. Place heaters on solid, flat surfaces, and never use extension cords with electric heaters.
Never use an oven to heat your home.
Make sure your home has smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and that all are in working order.
Never leave something cooking unattended on top of the stove, and keep burnable items away from the stove.
Keep a pan lid or cookie sheet nearby in case a pan catches fire. You can use the lid or sheet to smother the flames.
Keep a working, regularly inspected fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to reduce the risk of bumps and spills.
Homeowners with uninsured properties also have options to financially protect their homes.
“Even a basic policy can make the difference between a manageable setback and a major financial hardship,” Mallory Mooney, director of sales and service at Insurify, said. “The key is finding the right balance between protection and affordability.”
Mooney recommends comparison shopping for home insurance regularly to find the best combination of cost and coverage. Ask for discounts, and check how different deductible amounts can affect a policy’s cost. Avoid add-ons or riders for additional coverages you may not need.
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar is Insurify’s director of content. With 30-plus years in content creation – including 10 years specializing in personal finance – Evelyn’s done everything from covering volatile local elections as a beat reporter to building fintech content libraries from the ground up.
Before joining Insurify, she was editor-in-chief at Credible, where she launched and developed the lending marketplace’s media partnership’s content initiative and managed the restructuring of the editorial team to enhance content production efficiency. Formerly, as tax editor for Credit Karma, Evelyn built a library of more than 300 educational articles on federal and state taxes, achieving triple-digit year-over-year growth in e-files from organic search.
Her early career included work as a content marketer, vice president and managing officer of a boutique public relations agency, chief copy editor for 14 weekly Forbes publications, reporting for large and mid-sized daily newspapers, and freelancing for the Associated Press.
Evelyn is passionate about creating personal finance content that distills complex topics into relatable, easy-to-understand stories. She believes great content helps empower readers with the information they need to make important personal finance decisions.
Edited byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri. He has years of experience in print and digital media, and strives to craft actionable, inclusive copy that fosters smart decision-making through reader autonomy. He has a journalism degree from Saint Louis University.
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