Common Causes of House Fires

Many home owners live with a constant fear of fire, and for good reason. House fires are often very destructive and costly - and deadly.

One of the first steps in preventing house fires is understanding what the most common causes of fire are. Once you are armed with this knowledge, you can begin eliminating the risks.

The number one cause of house fires is cooking fires. Cooking left unattended is a serious fire hazard, as is cooking while sleepy or after having consumed alcohol. It is also important to keep all combustible materials away from the stove top. These included oven mitts, paper items, cooking utensil and fabric items.

Bad wiring is another cause of home fires. According to This Old House, electrical fires account for more than 50,000 fires each year and $1.5 billion in property damages! To reduce your risk, have your wiring professionally inspected every 10 years. This Old House also suggests replacing circuit breakers with arc-fault circuit interrupters. These circuit interrupters stop dangerous electrical arcs before they start a blaze.

Dryers and Washing Machines pose other house fire dangers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2010 55 people died from home fires caused by clothes washers or dryers. The main reason these appliances caused fires was because they were not cleaned. To reduce your risk of a house fire due to your clothes washer or dryer, keep your machines cleaned adequately.

Another cause of house fires may surprise you: charging cellphones, tablets or laptops on a soft surface. When these devices are not allowed to breathe, they can build up dangerous levels of heat and then ignite. This new story reports a fire caused by a phone that caught on fire while being charged on a bed pillow. When charging your devices, make sure they are on a surface which allows plenty of air flow.

At Best Security Products, we can help keep your home and family safe from fire. Give us a call or email us at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com.