House fires are a widespread and typical problem worldwide, especially in Canada and the US. Although many countries today have set whopping records of home fires in recent and past years, the United States alone recorded 1.3 million home fires in 2017.
While common disasters like home fires are unpredictable, you can minimize the damage they may cause and even prevent them from occurring in your house by knowing where fires can likely happen. So let’s talk about the common fire-prone places in homes.
Home Fire-Prone Areas
Home fires may come from several factors like defective appliances, open flames, cooking, and neglect. However, knowing the fire-prone areas in houses is also important with the other typical causes you already know. Homes have common areas where fires are most likely to ignite, and we’ve noted five below so you can prepare preventive measures better and safer.
1. Kitchens
Many kitchens are situated where electrical appliances like the microwave, refrigerators, and gas stoves are placed and assembled, making them fire-prone. Fires occur in the kitchen for many reasons, including forgetting to shut the stove or the valve, which causes the gas to leak, and using home appliances that are malfunctioning and failing to meet standards.
It’s also why many people employ companies specializing in property restoration in Terre Haute, as damaged areas in the kitchen may exacerbate if not remediated immediately.
2. Chimneys
Like everything else in the home, chimneys require maintenance and routine cleaning. Each time you light a fire to feel warm, ash builds up inside your chimney, increasing the risk of fire and smoke damage.
3. Areas near the heating appliances
Electric space heaters or heating appliances that need kerosene and propane to run are already dangerous. Leaving flammable objects near heating appliances can quickly fire a house. This is also why you must never leave your home if a space heater is running.
4. Bedrooms
Most materials used in bed sheets, carpets, clothes, curtains, and any other possessions in the bedroom can be great fire conductors, which makes bedrooms fire-prone and dangerous. Most people charge their phones before sleeping. However, many devices that are not standardized frequently cause short circuits, which may result in house fires.
Moreover, lighting fragrant candles before sleeping and forgetting to put out the fire, unchecked electrical control boards, smoking cigarettes in the bedroom, and using non-standard electrical plugs may trigger bedroom fires. If your house has seriously affected areas caused by fire, it’s wise to hire fire and smoke damage restoration and repair services. They can take care of the situation professionally and prevent more damage.
People often toss buckets of water when a fire starts burning in their homes. Although small house fires can be extinguished with this, however, this will also increase your house’s humidity and encourage mold development. So if some parts of your home get infested by molds, do not hesitate to call companies that offer mold remediation & removal in Terre Haute to do the job.
5. Barbecue grills
Barbecue grills are best for making good food during summer dinners, but they must be placed at least 7-10 meters away from anything that may catch fire, like the garage, shed, or a home. Grilled meats like bratwurst are typically fatty and can contribute to flare-ups due to their grease that might get caught in the fire.