Fires damage nearly 400,000 homes a year. A house fire is a terrifying and life-threatening event that everyone hopes to never experience. The good news is, most fires in homes can be prevented with the right precautions.
Here are the most common causes for house fires and how you can prevent them from happening.
Cooking with Caution
What’s the most common cause for fires in homes? Cooking. A pan is left unattended. The gas isn’t turned off. The wrong liquid spills onto an open flame. Your sleeve gets too close to the stove.
Between your stove-top, your oven, and all the other appliances found in a kitchen, there’s a lot that can go wrong.
The best way to prevent a fire from starting in the kitchen is to stay in the kitchen whenever you’re cooking something. Don’t leave a stove unattended. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Turn things off when you’re done.
And don’t wear loose clothing while cooking.
Space [Between] Heaters
Coming up as the second most common cause of fires is heat sources, particularly space heaters. Many of us have those rooms in our home where heat vents and radiators never seem to reach. The simplest solution is to plug-in a space heater.
But for all their convenience, space heaters can be very dangerous.
Most modern space heaters have systems in place that turns them off when they’re tipped over, but that doesn’t prevent you from putting them near curtains, sheets, papers, clothes, and many other flammable items.
If you need to use a space heater, make sure there isn’t anything within 3 feet of it. If it’s old and doesn’t seem to be working quite right, go ahead and by yourself a new one.
And never leave a space heater on in a room where you’re not present.
Put That Cigarette Out
Cigarettes aren’t just a health hazard; they’re a fire hazard. If you’re going to smoke, you need to be smart about it. The safest way to handle cigarettes is to not use them at all. However, the second safest way is to keep your smoking outside.
Not only will it remove the risk of a cigarette catching your home on fire, but it will prevent smoke damage from taking place in your home.
Check Your Cords
Electrical fires can come in different shapes and sizes, but typically, they stem from the cord. Overtime, cords and plugs become cracked, broken, and exposed. This leads to electricity escaping from them, creating a serious risk for a house fire.
Make sure you’re keeping an eye on the condition of your appliance cords. If they’re broken, don’t just patch them up with some electrical tape. Replace them altogether. Trust us, the added expense is absolutely worth not having a house fire.
Blow the Candles Out
Candles may smell great and create a lovely ambience, but you should never forget that they’re an open flame that’s inside of your home. A small fire can turn into a big fire very quickly. All it takes is a candle falling over or a curtain blowing in the window, and your home could be burning to the ground.
The best way to avoid this is by utilizing electrical candles, candle warmers, or scented plugins.
Of course, some of us want the real thing. If that’s you, and you love to have a candle or two flickering in the background, make sure you’re in the room where they’re lit. Don’t ever fall asleep with candles burning either.
And if you’re having guests over, and there’s a lot of people moving around, it’s best to avoid the candles then too.
Check Your Smoke Alarms
Even when you take all the right precautions, a fire may happen when you’re asleep or in another room. One thing that’s certainly worse than a house fire is a house fire that causes injury or death. Make sure your smoke alarms are functioning properly so that you’re not caught off guard by a fire.
A little thing like fresh batteries can be the difference between life and death.
They also may give you enough time to get the fire extinguished before consuming your whole house. If you experience a fire, and your house survives, you’ll need fire repair services immediately. For fire damage restoration in the Springfield, Ohio area, contact Reliant Restoration today. We’ll get your home back in shape in no time.