There's a lot of reasons why your home may go up in flames if you’re not careful. You might not even know it until it's too late, when you're dealing with fire damage and wondering how it happened. The truth is that every year, there are over half a million fires in the United States alone. These fires cause thousands of injuries and deaths, as well as millions of dollars worth of property damage. While some causes of residential fire damage are harder to prevent than others (such as lightning strikes or arson), there are several easy ways to reduce your risk from simple mistakes. Here are the most common causes of fire damage in your home:
Cooking Fires
Cooking fires are the second most common cause of residential fire damage, and they are preventable! Make sure your kitchen is well-ventilated. Keep windows open when cooking to allow smoke to escape, or use fans if possible. Also, Never leave food unattended while it's cooking, especially if you're using a fryer or deep fryer!
If you do find yourself in an accidental cooking fire, and it’s tamable, cover the pan with a lid and turn off the burner. Use a fire extinguisher if you have one. If it becomes too large and dangerous, stay calm and get everyone out of the house immediately. If there's any chance that one of your family members has been injured, call 911 right away. Your local fire department should be dispatched as well as an ambulance if necessary.
Laundry Fires
Laundry room fires are one of the most common causes for residential fire damage. It often happens because the dryer ducts, filters and vents are clogged up. The lint that gets caught in the ducts, filters and vents is highly flammable!
To prevent laundry room fires, be sure to set your dryer at a low temperature and run it for only as long as necessary. Also, make sure to empty lint traps after every load. If you notice that something is wrong with your dryer, turn off the power immediately and call for help from an electrician or fire department.
Ignition of clothing
Your clothes also may cause a fire to ignite in your home. If your clothes are left out or hanging over a flammable area, they easily catch fire! A fireplace, candle, heater, etc. cause your clothes to heat up and catch fire. Even in the kitchen, your clothes are susceptible to flames!
It doesn't matter if you have expensive designer outfits or cheap thrift store finds, all clothing materials ignite if they're exposed to high temperatures long enough. When this happens it results in what's known as "thermal degradation" which means when heat gets trapped within fibers there are chemical reactions happening inside them leading to combustion.
Forgotten Candle Fires
Candles are a common cause of fire damage, and they're also one of the most preventable. When you light a candle, it's important to keep it away from curtains, bedding, or other flammable materials. You should also use a candle snuffer to put out the flame when you go to sleep or leave your property! Otherwise, you could have an unpleasant surprise when you wake up in the morning or come home!
When lighting candles at home:
- Keep them out of reach from children and pets who may knock them over by accident
- Never leave them unattended
- Use only lit candles that have been placed in sturdy holders made specifically to keep them from tipping over
- Be sure not to use any flammable liquids such as alcohol near open flames
Fire damage happens & is a real disaster.
Fire damage to your home is dangerous and expensive to remediate! Fire damage should always be cleaned up by professionals who know what they're doing so you don't end up with more problems than you started with.
If you have experienced fire damage in your home or business, call our team today at JGB Restoration. We have experience in residential fire remediation services!
