Originally Posted by rocky raccoon

As a retired FF/Medic and no Red Cross disaster responder, I agree that it is true there are more fires in cold periods. The reasons stated by tbomach above are true. People can get really creative when desperate to stay warm. I have seen open ovens, charcoal grills in the living room and clothes dryers used for heat.

Seldom see the old rubber-insulated wiring with crumbled insulation or aluminum wiring anymore. Those places have either been modernized or burned down by now. Next to the kitchen the next most common fire source seems to be dryers choked with lint.

Forty year-old wiring should not be a problem if done to common local code. You are talking about homes built in the late 70s/early 80s.