Probably one of the greatest hazards the cage or hoop presented was the danger of fire. The hoop had a tendency to swing near an open flame and ignite the hoop underneath. With the shape and structure of the garment acting like a chimney, many women were badly burned. Unable to exit a building quickly in case of fire, panic would take over making the consequences of the fire worse. The threats of fire and entrapment by machinery, many manufacturers banned the hoop from the work place.

Possibly one of the most terrifying examples of the impractical nature of the hoop was described by Eliza Ann McAuley in her diary in 1852:

Wednesday, April 28th. "Traveled about four miles this morning when we came to Grave Hollow, so named from the circumstances of a woman and child being killed there. In coming down a steep hill a woman attempted to jump from the wagon with the child in her arms. Her dress caught in the wheel and she was drawn under and crushed to death....We stopped and remained with them until after the burial." (Covered Wagon Women--Diaries and Letters from the Western Trail. v. 4, p. 42)