Top Ten Things That Cause Home Fires

6/23/2020 (Permalink)

Kitchen Fires

Every home faces the potential for an assortment of risks with the most dangerous being a house fire. An accidental fire can occur from many items and can decimate a house in minutes if it is not handles properly and quickly. While proper insurance can help your financial loss, it is better to understand and try to prevent the situations that lead to house fires. Most homes have many combustible items.

This list is meant to help you not only identify potential issues but also lower the risk of having a house fire. Whether it’s a candle accidentally burning throughout the night, faulty cooking equipment or another scenario, homeowners should be aware of the most common causes of house fires and work to minimize and prevent accidents before they occur.

10. Your Grill

During the outdoor cooking season, grills left unattended on a wooden deck or next to the wall of a home can cause a fire. A heated grill next to a wooden fence can easily cause fire, and grills can also ignite the exterior walls of a home or garage if they are placed too close.

9.Christmas Trees

Christmas trees are everyone’s holiday favorite and a staple of the holiday season, but they come with risks. Especially when the trees begin to dry out.  A quick spark can set the whole tree on fire, so make sure to keep your tree’s water reservoir full and to unplug the tree when you are not at home.

8. Faulty Wiring in Your Home

These fires erupt from overheating. To reduce this risk, make sure systems are installed properly with protective features.

7. Kids Playing with Fire

Children are curious and sometimes get access to flammable objects which puts your property at risk. This includes matches, stove tops, candles and more. Make sure to keep lighters, candles, and matches away from the reach of small children.

6. Candles

The lighters and matches utilized to light candles are just as dangerous as the candle themselves. Fires can start from unsupervised candles and children getting a hold of them.

5. Electrical Equipment

These normally happen from short circuiting which causes sparks and ignites materials in your home. These are difficult to locate, because they are often hidden and a fire can begin burning before the homeowners know they have a problem

4. Careless Smoking

Cigarette butts are a large perpetrator for house fires. They can be left unattended or dropped.

3. Flammable liquids

Chemical fires occur from spontaneous combustion: a reaction of chemicals combining with oxygen producing enough heat to ignite. Be sure to store fuels and chemicals in proper containers that are protected from the heat.

2. Heating Equipment

When in the presence of fabrics, space heaters and baseboard heaters can create a household fire. It’s recommended to never leave the house with any type of space heater running.

1. Cooking Equipment

The most common of household fires come from cooking – this makes up almost half of all house fires. This can occur from grease and oil being overheated on the stove. For grease and oil to combust without needing direct flame contact, the open flames and ovens are left unattended and aren't attended until it is too late. Another source are portable cooking appliances such as toasters and electric griddles. These appliances must be cool to the touch before being stored away. Practice safety by making sure to clean pans to eliminate grease along with removing crumbs and scraps from toasters and electric griddles.

Contact SERVPRO of Bath if you need help after any type of household fire.