House fires are on the rise as more people are staying home.

With more people at home to avoid the new coronavirus, there are now more houses fires in South Florida.

The moment the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, so began the chain of events. The public was urged to stay home to contain the virus. Schoolchildren also stayed home, and business trips and vacations were canceled.

Over the span of just 12 days since the pandemic was declared, the South Florida American Red Cross has been called to assist 133 people who have dealt with 33 fires in the South Florida.

The majority of the fires, 12 of them, have happened in Miami-Dade.

The Red Cross assisted Broward residents with six fires and five in Palm Beach counties; Lee County had three fires; Highland and St. Lucie counties each had two household fires, and Monroe, Indian River and Okeechobee counties each had one house fire, according Rebecca Torriani, a communications manager for the agency.

Only four counties in the the 13-county region the South Florida American Red Cross represents did not experience a house fire over the the 12-day period ending Monday, Torriani said.

The Red Cross is urging people to use caution.

“We understand this a difficult time for our community as they take precautionary measures to keep their loved ones safe, but fire safety should be one of those measures that are taken in account, says Joanne Nowlin, the chief executive officer for regional Red Cross operation.

“Our Red Cross team members are responding to home fires at an alarming rate and we want to make sure everyone is taking the necessary steps to stay safe.”

According to the Red Cross, an average of seven lives are lost each day to home fires. Most of those home fires happened in homes without working fire alarms.