December is a festive time of year. The tone is set with decorations, candles, and string lights. We gather together for home-cooked meals, and even cozy up around a crackling fireplace. These activities are normally harmless, but an accidental fire can ignite with unpredictability, spread uncontrollably, and decimate a home within minutes. House fires endanger everyone in the home, and even small fires that are put out quickly often result in thousands of dollars of damage. Having a proper insurance policy is essential to help mitigate the financial losses associated with a house fire, but it is far better to prevent the circumstances that lead to fires in the first place.
Fires can be started in a number of ways, but they generally fall into one of two categories: heat igniting combustible materials, and by chemical reactions. Your home is full of objects and materials that can combust under the right conditions. Identifying and lowering these risks help you lower your chance of house fire, keeping your family and property safer.
1. Cooking: Cooking fires are among the most common types of house fires, causing around 49 percent of all residential fires. They are very often caused by greases that become overheated on a stove or in an oven. Grease is highly flammable when it gets hot enough (about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, on average) and when it reaches that point, it can combust spontaneously, even without direct flame contact. Once the grease is ignited, it is very difficult to smother the flames. Tip to prevent fire: Never leave the kitchen unattended when cooking in oil or when cooking food that produces grease, such as bacon. Most kitchen fires start because a homeowner leaves food cooking unsupervised on a stove or in an oven. By the time the fire is discovered, it’s usually too late. Thoroughly clean your cookware to prevent grease from building up over time.
2. Space heaters: Home space heaters and baseboard heaters can cause fire when fabrics and other combustibles are left too close. Heating and cooling appliances of various types are the second leading cause of residential fires, responsible for over 12 percent of all home fires. Heaters that require fuel, such as kerosene are especially dangerous, as they can ignite or blow up if not properly watched. Electrical heaters can cause fires if the electrical wiring is faulty, or if draperies or other fabrics overheat when they come in contact with the coils. Tips to prevent fire: Always follow the instructions on any heating device you use, and inspect it regularly to ensure it is in good condition. Never leave the house with a space heater running or unsupervised. Make sure flammable materials are kept well away from space heaters.
3. Candles: Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day are the prime time for fires caused by candles. Candles can add a wonderful touch to family dinners and holiday celebrations, but the National Fire Protection Association says that between 2014 and 2018, candles caused an estimated average of just over 7,600 fires, with an average of 81 deaths and 677 injuries for each of those years. The matches and lighters used to light candles are equally dangerous if left in a place where children can reach them. Tips to prevent fire: Keep matches and lighters locked in a secure place if you have kids, and never leave a candle burning in a room that is unattended. Always extinguish the flame before leaving the room. Keep candles at least 12 inches from any materials that might ignite. Consider opting for battery-powered flameless luminaries; they offer a decorative lighting effect with remarkably realistic flickering.
4. Smoking: Smoking is hazardous to your health in many ways—including the potential for igniting fires from cigarette butts dropped on carpeting, furniture, or other flammable materials. Fires from cigarettes and smoking materials cause nearly 600 deaths and over 1,100 injuries each year in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. While cigarettes and other smoking materials account for only about 5 percent of home fires, these are particularly deadly fires, responsible for about 23 percent of all fire deaths—the single most common cause. This is likely because these fires often ignite when a resident falls asleep. Smoking in bed is especially dangerous, and should always be avoided at all costs. All it takes is one stray ash to ignite a mattress, blanket, carpet, or piece of clothing. Tip to prevent: Look into smoking cessation programs like the American Lung Association or SmokeFree.
5. Christmas trees: Christmas trees are a holiday tradition for many families, but they come with some risks. Real evergreen trees tend to dry out over time, and by the end of the holiday season, they can pose a very serious danger of flash fire. A hot light or a spark can immediately set the tree aflame. Artificial trees made with vinyl or plastic needles are safer in this regard, but an electrical fire from a bad wire in the light-bulb string or an overloaded outlet is still a risk. Tips to prevent fire: Never leave Christmas tree lights plugged in when you are not at home or while you are sleeping. Check the moisture of your natural tree by assessing the water reservoir in the tree stand daily to ensure it is not too dry, which will prevent the tree from becoming tinder-dry. Incandescent bulbs generate a lot of heat and should be replaced with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs, which are considerably cooler to the touch. All light bulb strands should be inspected regularly and discarded if they show bare wires or other problems.
Have more questions? Call Honesty Guard Homewatch today to learn more about how you can keep your second property safe while you're away. We can help you maximize your enjoyment of the property rather than spend your vacations dealing with the issues that come with homeownership.
Rhea Ross
Honesty Guard Homewatch
email: info@honestyguard.com
phone: (850)714-2756
Information in this article was gathered from The Spruce.
Photo sourced from Pexels.com
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