Top Causes of a Fire

5/31/2020 (Permalink)

While stuck in Quarantine it's important to know what you can do to  prevent a fire in your house. 
These are some of the top[ causes of in home fires

• Be alert; if you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the oven or stovetop
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food
• When simmering, baking or roasting, check the food regularly, remain in the kitchen while cooking and use a timer
• Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop

Heating is the second leading cause of home fires. Follow these tips from the American Red Cross:

• Keep all flammables, like paper, clothing, bedding, drapes or rugs, at least 3 feet from a space heater, stove or fireplace
• Never leave portable heaters and fireplaces unattended; turn off heaters and make sure fireplace embers are extinguished before leaving the room
• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, nonflammable surface, like ceramic tile, not on a rug or carpet
• Keep children and pets away from space heaters
• When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over

In addition to cooking, other top causes of fire include smoking, electrical problems and candles. To minimize risks:

• Institute a “no smoking” policy in the house
• Check all cords and replace any that are frayed or have bare wires
• Switch to flameless candles
• Keep matches and lighters high and out of children’s reach in a locked cabinet
• Test smoke alarms monthly
• Replace batteries annually, and change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detectorat the same time
• Replace smoke alarms that are 10 or more years old

 https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/emergency-preparedness/fire