...I do not think we see many news articles relating to electric heater fires burning down a house. Lots of stove fires burning them down though. I am not saying it is normal; normally it's user error (wood is too wet, poor stove installation, stack, ashes stored in a bucket indoors, etc). But insurance companies pay them out. So the next stove setup that comes alone - POOF. higher premiums. A friend of mine has a 145 year old house. All his insurance will cover is $150 000 of rebuild costs..that's it. The wiring, plumbing, insulation is all deemed "too risky".
The top cause is home cooking fires. Second is brush, grass or forest fires. Third is home heating fires.
(broken link removed to http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fire-causes)