House fires are a rampant and common issue worldwide, particularly in Canada and the United States. Although many countries today have set whopping records of home fires in recent and previous years, the United States alone recorded 1.3 million house fires in 2017.
While typical disasters like home fires are unforeseeable, you can decrease the damage they might cause and even prevent them from happening in your home by knowing where fires can likely take place. So let’s discuss the common fire-prone areas in homes.
Home Fire-Prone Areas
Home fires might stem from numerous factors like defective appliances, open flames, cooking, and carelessness. However, knowing the fire-prone areas in houses is also important with the other common causes you already know. Homes have common areas where fires are most likely to ignite, and we’ve noted five below so you can plan preventive measures better and safer.
1. Kitchens
Many kitchens are located where numerous electrical appliances like the microwave oven, fridges, 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 house appliances that are malfunctioning and failing to meet standards.
It’s also why many individuals employ Terre Haute, IN property restoration companies, as damaged areas in the kitchen may exacerbate if not remediated straight away.
2. Areas near the heating appliances
Electric space heaters or heating appliances that need propane or kerosene to run are already dangerous. Leaving flammable items near heating appliances can rapidly set fire to a home. This is also why you must never leave your house if a space heater is running.
3. Chimneys
Like everything else in the home, chimneys require maintenance and routine cleaning. Each time you light a fire to feel warm, ash collects inside your chimney, increasing the risk of smoke and fire damage.
4. Bedrooms
Most materials used in bed sheets, rugs, clothes, drapes, and other things in the bedroom can be great fire conductors, making bedrooms fire-prone and dangerous. Many people charge their phones before sleeping. However, most devices that are not standardized often cause a short circuit which might result in house fires.
Additionally, lighting scented candles before sleeping and forgetting to put out the fire, unchecked electrical control panels, smoking cigarettes in the bedroom, and using non-standard electrical plugs may trigger bedroom fires. If your home has severely affected areas caused by fire, hiring companies that offer smoke and fire damage restoration in Brazil, IN, is strongly advised. They can resolve the situation professionally and prevent more damage.
People often throw buckets of water when a fire ignites in their houses. Although minor home fires can be extinguished with this, sadly, this will also increase your home’s humidity and encourage mold growth. So if some parts of your house get infested by molds, do not hesitate to call remediation experts to do the job. You may visit the page of mold removal professionals for more info on how they carry out their job.
5. Barbecue grills
Barbecue grills are best for making fantastic foods during summer dinners. However, 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 mostly fatty and can contribute to flare-ups due to their grease that might get caught in the fire.