Know the Common Causes of House Fires and Prevent Them in Your Home
We can’t stay away from fire. It helps us cook, keep us warm, and can even be used for entertainment. But there’s a reason why Smokey the Bear was so popular for so long; fire is still dangerous. It causes thousands of injuries and deaths each year and can wreak havoc on your home. When it comes to fire, knowing the most common causes of house fires can help you prevent fire damage in your home.
What to Do if You Experience a Fire at Home
First and foremost, if you do experience a fire in your home, you need to take immediate action for your safety. Call your fire department so they can extinguish the fire and get treatment for any injuries.
After you are safe and your home is no longer on fire, you’ll want to call a fire damage restoration company before going back into your home. A fire damage restoration company will assess your home’s structure to make sure it is stable and safe to enter. CLEAR Restoration has emergency service hours to help you when you need it most. After the initial assessment of the structure, a fire damage restoration company can help you start the process of restoring your home back to its pre-fire condition.
Cooking Fires are the Leading Cause of House Fires and Fire-Related Injuries
Many people are surprised to discover that cooking is what causes most home fires. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), cooking caused 50.3 percent of the home fires in 2016. Most cooking fires begin because the person cooking leaves the food unattended. So, when you’re considering running upstairs really quick when something is on the stove, you might want to rethink. Multitasking is best left for when you aren’t cooking as a cooking fire can spread rapidly.
In addition to keeping an eye on your food while cooking, be sure to set timers to remind you of when food is ready to come out of the oven or off the stove.
Heating Equipment Should be Maintained as it Causes Many Fires
No one likes to be cold, but using heating equipment without proper safety measures can end in disaster. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), reports that 56,000 home structure fires involved heating equipment from 2009 to 2013. They also report that chimney buildup and space heaters are the leading contributors to fires involving heating equipment.
Before you light a fire in your fireplace or plug in your space heater, make sure everything is up to code and maintained. Clean your chimney regularly and never leave your space heaters unattended. Also, make sure your fire extinguishers are up to code and not outdated. When it comes to your safety, don’t shortcut maintenance.
Being Careless with Fire and Playing with Fire are Serious Mistakes
With six percent of home fires caused by someone being careless with fire (USFA) and 49,300 fires from 2007 to 2011 caused by people playing with fire (NPFA), it’s something everyone should be more careful about. Whether you are absent-mindedly messing with a cigarette lighter or your children are having fun with fireworks, being careless with fire in any way can result in major structural damage and injuries.
To Prevent Unintentional Fires in Your Home, Follow the Below Home Fire Safety Tips:
- Always supervise children
- Do not give children easy access to matches, lighters, or other fire sources
- Do not leave candles or other open flames unattended
- Install and maintain smoke alarms
- Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything flammable
- Maintain chimneys, grills, furnaces, and other heating equipment
- Never leave cooking unattended
- Extinguish cigarettes in a fireproof ashtray
For more fire safety tips, visit the National Safety Council website. If you do experience a fire in your home, call CLEAR Restoration for your fire damage restoration services. We will help you get your home and life back to normal quickly and safely.
