Causes of fire damage in homes and how to prevent it

12/13/2017 (Permalink)

A homeowner's worst enemy is fire because it can burn your hard earned investment to the ground and even cause deaths to you or your family. Fire is a vicious enemy who can not only burn your property but can also cause other problems such as water damage, break windows because of pressure as well as damage the roof hence expose your home to greater damage. All these dangers and losses that can be caused by fire call for you as the homeowner to think of ways to prevent fires and put them into action.

The first step you should take towards preventing fire outbreaks at homes is taking safety precautions. One way you can do this is by installing a fire alarm in your house and ensuring that it is functional at all times. The other way is by buying a fire extinguisher and placing it in an accessible and safe place. This equipment can help you mitigate the damage that fire can cause when it occurs. You can also consider installing a fire door in your kitchen to slow down the rate of burning as you look for alternative means of putting out the fire.

The next step is to ensure that you follow manufacturer's procedures whenever you are handling combustible equipment. These include equipment and items such as lighting candles, cooking equipment and electrical appliances. For example, at no time should a hob used to turn off gas be left on because once the gas fills the house it will only take a spark to ignite and cause fire.

Another thing to consider is the design of your house which should not catalyze a fire outbreak. Therefore, care should be taken to see that bright lights are not installed too close to the loft installations, flammable items should not be placed above the stove and dry grass growing around the house should be trimmed among other measures.

The possible causes of fires at our homes are kitchen fires, lightning, children playing with fire, electrical fires, and smoking. Kitchen fires can be prevented by being careful when cooking. For instance, you should wear fitting clothes when cooking and open the damper before lighting wood fire, wet ashes before throwing them away and watch out for an awful smell. Electrical fires can be avoided by avoiding overloading an outlet with appliances and repairing outlets and wiring that needs repairs. Fires caused by children can be prevented by educating children on the dangers of fire and smoke fires can easily be avoided if the smoker avoids smoking when inside the house and then ensuring that they dispose of the cigarette butt well once they are done smoking.

At SERVPRO, we have experience in dealing with fire damage and we have been providing our services to residents of Manhattan, New York City. Call us today if you had a fire at your home and are wondering how to handle the damage it caused.