Fire Hazards In Your Lakewood Ranch Home

5/21/2021 (Permalink)

Recognizing fire hazards in your Bradenton home can help you protect your family and your property.

Recognizing fire hazards can be an important way to protect your Lakewood Ranch or Bradenton home.

The problem with candles

According to the National Fire Protection Association, during a five-year period from 2011 to 2015, fire departments in the United States answered calls to almost 8,700 home structure fires a year that began with candles. In total, 82 deaths, 800 injuries and $295 million in property damage were attributed to candles.

Candles were the cause of 2 percent of reported home fires, with 3 percent resulting in death and 7 percent resulting in injuries. There were an average of 24 home candle fires reported per day during those five years, with the month of December having the highest number of calls per year for home candle fires.

Candle fires during this time span were attributed to 37 percent starting in bedrooms and were responsible for 36 percent of the associated deaths and 51 percent of the associated injuries.

While using candles, it is important that the candle is kept at least one foot away from anything that could catch fire and is placed in a sturdy holder that won’t easily tip over. Never use a candle where oxygen is used in the home—and always extinguish all candles when you leave a room or go to sleep.

Smoking can ignite fires in the home

While cooking is the leading cause of house fires, smoking is the leading cause of home fire deaths. Cigarettes, pipes and cigars contributed to an estimated 17,200 home structure fires in 2014, resulting in 570 deaths, 1,140 injuries and $426 million in property damage.

If you’re a smoker, the safest place to smoke is outside. Most deaths resulted from fires that started in living rooms, family rooms or bedrooms.

Extinguish all cigarette butts and ashes with water or sand prior to throwing them away—and keep in mind that one out of four fatalities from smoking-material fires is not the smoker whose smoking started the fire.

Watch for hidden fire hazards

We’ve covered candles and smoking as two of the most common causes of home structure fires. There are also other lesser-known hazards that could be present in your home.

Dust is also a fire risk if it builds up near electrical sockets and floor heaters. Regular sweeping and vacuuming your floors regularly and cleaning hard-to-reach areas can help prevent buildup.

Look out for loose outlets in your home because continuous movement of these electrical outlets may cause loose wires that are connected to the outlet. This could cause dangerous arcing, which could cause a fire.

Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage. We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Fire and smoke damage can be devastating to homes, not to mention the water damage that happens from firefighting efforts. If your home is damaged by fire or smoke call SERVPRO of East Bradenton/Lakewood Ranch (941) 747-2333.