Common Causes of Fires in Oklahoma City and How to Prevent Them

A fire can threaten your property and your safety. It can also lead to major financial losses for home and business owners. Understanding the leading causes of fires can help you take proactive measures to keep you and your family out of harm’s way. If you know how fires start and spread, you can manage and eliminate potential fire hazards to reduce the risk of a fire occurring. In this article, we cover five common causes of fires and general tips to prevent them.

Common Fire Hazards and Prevention Tips

Fires can begin in a number of ways, which is why it’s important to be aware of safety precautions and to have a fire extinguisher on hand in the event that a fire does break out. The following are some of the most common causes of fire and ways to prevent them:

Unattended Stovetop Burners

When you leave cooking food unattended, it can catch fire. That’s why it’s important to watch your food as it cooks and turn off your burner if you need to leave the kitchen. You should also wipe up any oil spills on your stovetop and counter and keep flammable items like dishcloths away from your burners to prevent fire from spreading. Another way to reduce the likelihood of a fire in your kitchen is to use fire-resistant oven mitts and cookware.

Faulty Wiring

Faulty electrical wiring can pose a significant fire risk in your home. Outdated wiring, overloaded circuits, and frayed cords are also a fire hazard. Electrical fires occur when components in an electrical circuit overheat. These fires can spread to flammable materials and cause injury and property damage.

To prevent electrical fires from occurring, you should schedule regular home inspections by a licensed electrician. You should also avoid overloading your outlets or power strips and replace damaged electrical cords.

Heat Sources

Using heaters, fireplaces, and furnaces during the winter season can help you keep warm. However, heating equipment poses a serious fire hazard if not used properly. To stay safe, you should never leave space heaters and fireplaces unattended for extended periods of time. It’s also important to keep flammable materials, like clothing, blankets, and pillows, at least three feet away from heat sources.

If you have a fireplace, you should clean your chimney and vents regularly to prevent chimney fires. You should also be sure to purchase heating devices from reliable manufacturers only.

Smoking Indoors

Smoking indoors is one of the main causes of house fires that lead to loss of life. Even a single spark can cause a fire in your home. To prevent this from happening, you should avoid smoking before bedtime, when you run the risk of falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

Ideally, you should always smoke outdoors, use a deep ashtray, and fully extinguish your cigarette butts before disposing of them. If you own a commercial or residential property, you can also prohibit smoking in certain areas to decrease the risk of accidental fires.

General Fire Prevention Tips

Each year, thousands of homes are devastated by fires that could have been prevented with simple safety measures. By taking proactive steps, you can prevent fire damage and be better prepared to respond to emergencies.

Here are some key fire prevention tips for homeowners:

• Install and maintain a smoke alarm system: House fires sometimes occur when everyone is asleep. Smoke alarms can detect fire early on, providing you with enough time to evacuate safely. Consider installing smoke alarms on every level of your home and testing them on a monthly basis to confirm they are working. You should replace your smoke alarm system every 10 years to ensure your safety.

• Develop a fire escape plan for your household: During a fire emergency, a quick escape can save your life. When developing your escape plan, try to identify two exits from each room and establish a safe meeting spot away from your home. You should practice this plan twice a year with your family members to be prepared.

• Have fire extinguishers accessible in key areas: Follow local fire department guidelines when deciding where to place fire extinguishers in your home. Also, make sure to place them in accessible locations so that everyone in the household is able to reach them. Your kitchen and garage are good places to have fire extinguishers since many house fires start there. Once your fire extinguishers have been installed, you should make sure that everyone in your household knows how to use them.

Get Professional Fire Damage Restoration in OKC

House fires can be devastating. They destroy possessions and places that hold precious memories and can result in serious financial losses. Being prepared and implementing safety measures can prevent fires from occurring. That said, accidents still happen, and when they do, OKC Restorations can provide you with reliable fire damage restoration so you can safely re-settle into your home. Contact us today to learn more about our services.