Nine Common Fire Starters

9/27/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Irwindale/Baldwin Park wishes safety and prosperity for our community members. Please take note of the nine most common fires starters below, and actively make strides to prevent these easy mistakes.

#1: Cooking

House fires happen most during dinner hours—between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. That’s because people are cooking. Here's what you should remember when using the kitchen:  

• For grease fires, only use a fire extinguisher or baking soda. Do not use water! It will spread the oil/grease and make your fire worse.
• Never leave your food unattended. Fires only need 30 seconds to go from a small flame to an out-of-control blaze, so even going to the bathroom could endanger your home.

#2: Heating Equipment

Almost 13% of all residential fires are caused by heating equipment. Make sure to turn off all heating equipment once you have finished using them.

# 3: Electrical Equipment

Electrical equipment causes over 6% of house fires. Look for frayed wires, surge marks in wire, and damaged cords.

#4: Carelessness

Mistakes happen. For house fires, negligence causes 5.8% of blazes. Carelessness includes not putting our cigarettes, leaving candles burning, putting heating equipment near combustible items, and more.

#5: Open flame

Candles, fires in the fireplace, and outdoor bonfires are enjoyable when controlled, but disastrous when they’re not. About 4% of all house fires start from an open flame.

#6: Appliances

Appliances cause about 4% of house fires. You can decrease the chances of something malfunctioning and catch on fire by making sure it’s approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

#7: Intentional

Arson is a felony and can result in up to 20 years. But, people still do it. Out of all house fires, 4.2% are intentionally set.

#8: Smoking

About 2% of fires are caused by cigarettes. Just put your cigarettes out.

#9: Natural

Nature happens. This means wildfires and those caused by lightning are unavoidable. Don’t worry though! Natural causes only account for 1.6% of all house fires.

Remember, house fires claim a life every 7 seconds. To protect yourself, home, and business, be aware of where fires are most common. #fire #firedmaage #SERVPRO #community #stormdamagerepair #restoration #waterdamagerestoration