The Most Likely Ways a Fire Could Start in Your Home | SERVPRO® of Northwest Bergen

11/11/2021 (Permalink)

Regardless of the cause, SERVPRO of Northwest Bergen are here for you if your home is affected by fire.

We’ve heard fire safety messages all our lives. We ran fire drills in school, we listened to Smokey the Bear, and we see campaign after campaign on social media and in advertising preaching the virtues of fire safety.

And yet, a quarter of all reported fires in the U.S. start in the house, and a great many of them could be prevented.

Let’s take a deeper look, and see if we can figure out where we can tighten up our fire awareness and prevent some of these home fires.

Cooking. Virtually half of all house fires ignite in the kitchen. These blazes have causes that range—pun intended—but the top (and yet most easily preventable) cause is unattended cooking. To put it another way: The single most practical thing you could do in your home right now to prevent fires is to be more attentive when you’re over the stove. That’s really it.

Heating equipment. When it gets cold, we turn on the HVAC heat, but many people also reach for space heaters to add warmth in specific areas or save energy costs by only heating certain rooms. These little firestarters are prone to cause all sorts of danger, as they have been known to tip over, overheat or overload wall outlets, especially when left on for long periods. If you have to use one, get a new one with added safety features.

Electrical fires. Old wiring can cause fires inside your walls, incorrect use of lighting fixtures and extension cords can cause short-circuits, and fires can even begin because your home is overpowering your older home’s capacity to provide electricity. You can’t predict all of these, but regular inspection and maintenance of your electrical system can give you a good chance of stopping many of them.

Smoking materials. Fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials are the leading cause of home fire fatalities, though they only make up about 5% of total home fires. If smoking is part of your routine, always do it safely, and never smoke while drowsy or impaired.

Regardless of the cause, SERVPRO of Northwest Bergen County is here for you if your home is affected by fire. Contact your local team today to see how we can help.