3 Common House Fire Causes & How to Avoid Them
Common House Fire Causes and How To Prevent Them!
House fires are always a frightening event, especially when your family is involved. It’s important to stay calm and act with your safety and the safety of others in mind. If you encounter a fire that can be managed with an extinguisher, such as a trash can fire, you should do so, but when there’s a great amount of risk to your own health, it’s never recommended that you try and handle it yourself.
The best course of action is to be aware of three of the common sources of in-door fires, and the ways in which you can avoid them in the first place.
Heating
The winter months are when fires are more likely to occur, due to the use of fuels, and the improper use of different heating sources, which include space heaters. Heating accounts for 57,000 house fires every year. Fires during the winter months can also be caused by faulty electrical wiring, and while that is a year-round threat, your electrical systems may be particularly stressed during the winter months if your heating is electric. Follow any safety instructions on space heaters if you use them for an enclosed space, and be sure that they are not located in or around flammable objects, such as carpeting, blankets, or clothing. Never leave a space heater unattended while you sleep.
Cooking Accidents
Food that’s been left unattended, or grease fires, are all a common source of fires in the home. One of the mistakes that homeowners make whenever a kitchen fire occurs is using the nearest “extinguishing” item to handle it; in this case, water. The problem is that water, when used on a grease fire, can cause it to flare up, and spray flaming grease onto nearby surfaces, and people. Smother the fire as quickly and as safely as possible with a lid, and never leave food unattended. Cooking fires are also caused by children who cook unattended, so be sure to supervise any children that want to try their hand at the culinary arts.
Smoking
Fired started by lit cigarettes lead to 580 deaths a year, and more than twice as many injuries. Some fires start by cigarettes that have been dropped in a fuel source, while others occur because a cigarette wasn’t properly extinguished after the smoker was done. Smoking around any source of concentrated oxygen will also start a fire, and can also lead to an explosion. Smokers can avoid this by disposing of their cigarette butts in cans that have sand in them, or by smoking outdoors– most smoking-related fires are caused by smokers who do so inside of a building.
As always, make sure that your fire extinguishers are recent and in good condition, and that the batteries in your smoke detectors are functional, so that you can react as quickly as possible whenever the presence of smoke is detected. It could save your life, and your home. When you need a trusted and skilled contractor to assist in the recovery and rebuild after a fire disaster, call Reset Restoration – we can help!
Author: Dick Wagner, AskDickWagner, restoration consultant, commercial marketing coach, disaster specialist.
If your friends, family and neighbors have had significant fire damage to homes or businesses you can contact Reset Restoration 24/7 to inquire about storm damage restoration services. Call Reset Restoration today at (918) 582-7373.
If your Tulsa home or business has suffered significant fire damage, please contact Reset Restoration today and request a free quote on fire damage restoration. Follow Reset Restoration on Facebook!
