The Leading Causes of House Fires

11/4/2021 (Permalink)

Regardless of the cause, SERVPRO of Putnam County is here for you if your home is affected by a fire.

Home is where your heart is—that is the famous quote, and it’s very true. Your home is where you go to enjoy your life and keep your valuable memories. But while we all try to practice safety precautions every day and take care of our investment, more than a quarter of all reported fires still occur in the home.

So, as you snuggle in for the evening, let’s review some of the top causes of house fires and do what we can to help bring that number down.

Cooking. This is the top cause of house fires and injuries! Almost half of all house fires are started because of unattended cooking. While it may seem like common sense not to leave something cooking while you fold laundry, life gets busy and we tend to forget. The best thing you can do is stay put. Devote your time to your family meal so that you can sit together and enjoy it.

Heating equipment. Heating implements contribute to14% of all house fires. There are several reasons why this can happen, including mishaps or malfunctions, but the most likely reason is space heaters that have gotten too close to flammable materials.

Electrical fires. Older homes weren’t built with the safety precautions in place today, so if you live in an older house, have it inspected regularly. Faulty wiring or circuits being overloaded are big factors that can contribute to the risk of house fires. It’s also important to ensure that electrical cords are not frayed and that you’re using the right wattage in lamps.

Intentional fires That’s right, you read that correctly. Believe it or not, there are more than 28,000 intentional home fires started every year. This type of fire isn’t set for another reason before getting out of control; these fires are set specifically with the intent of destruction.

Smoking materials. Smoking materials are only responsible for 5% of house fires, but they are the leading cause of civilian fire deaths. This type of deadly fire often occurs when someone falls asleep while smoking.

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