01 Jul The Top 5 Causes for Home Fires
When owning a home, it’s important to be aware of any accidents that can happen. Whether you slip and fall from a spill of water, or there’s a problem with your electrical outlets, safety in the household is essential. It’s not just for your benefit, but for the benefit of your kids as well.
The Top 5 Causes for Home Fires
Fires in the household are all too common, and it’s important to know how to prevent them for you and your kids’ safety. So here are the top 5 causes for home fires.
Cooking
Cooking accidents are easily one of the most common causes of fires. Whether you’re boiling noodles on a stove, or are cooking a Christmas turkey for a few hours, never leave your food unattended. While this may not seem like an issue to most, it’s actually a lot more common than you would think. For example, what if you were cooking spaghetti on the stove, but forgot about the dish when you went to make a phone call? Or while cooking a pizza in the oven, what if you planned to take a short nap that ended up being for a few hours? No pun intended, but that’s a recipe for disaster. Whether you’re cooking for a few minutes or a few hours, never leave your food unattended for too long.
The Dryer
Believe it or not, your dryer is another common cause of house fires. So you need to make sure you clean the lint filter on a regular basis. If you don’t, it will cause a huge build up and eventually the machine will work harder. In the long run, this will cause electrical problems. But you also need to regularly clean behind the dryer as well. If you’re having problems drying your clothes, that’s because there’s lint behind the dryer that causes the machine to work harder. Any machine that has to work harder than it needs to may eventually short-circuit and cause a fire.
Between making sure you don’t leave the stove unattended and cleaning your dryer lint on a regular basis, these are two important ways to prevent house fires.
Candles
Not surprisingly, candles are often another cause of fires in the home. While many people use them as a means of celebration, especially during birthdays or romantic evenings, it’s just as easy to be careless with them. If you’re celebrating a birthday for one of your children, for example, blow out the candles relatively quick.
As for lit candles during a dinner, don’t leave them unattended for too long. While there may be nothing flammable nearby, accidents do happen. When using candles, it’s important to keep a balance between enjoying yourself during the event while being cautious of any risks that could happen.
Children
If you have kids, they can be a common cause for fire. They may be curious as to how something works like candles or matches, but not realize the danger. With that said, not only should you supervise them, but you should also warn them of any dangers that result from being careless. After all, children are still learning, and they don’t know any better. You should also make sure to keep any flammable objects out of reach, such as lighters and matches.
Stove Burners
When using the stove burner, be attentive of any oil spills or oven mitts nearby. Most important of all, always make sure you turn the burner off when you’re done cooking. While turning this may seem like common knowledge, it’s easy to be forgetful and leave it on while there’s nothing in the pan.
Add a smoke detector to your security system monitoring today so if there is a fire in your home, the fire department will automatically show up and save the home and maybe a life as well.
For more information, contact us today at Zions Security Alarms.
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