3 common causes of house fires & how to prevent them

3 common causes of house fires & how to prevent them

An accidental fire can happen at any moment. Even if you are able to put it out, a small fire inside a home can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. Plus if you don’t own an Infinity Trunk, then you could potentially lose priceless memories. 


Before any of that happens though, let's take a look at some of the most common culprits that live inside your home that start house fires. 


  1. Heating Appliances

12% of all house fires come from a heating or cooling system within the house. The most common issue, when it comes to space heaters, are that they are being placed too close to the baseboards or curtains. If left unattended, they can overheat and cause a fire. 


If you do use a space heater, make sure you never leave it on overnight or leave it near flammable materials or liquids. 


  1. Candles

This might be the most obvious but it still happens frequently. From 2014 to 2018 candles were the cause of over 7,600 fires. In the wrong hands, lighters and matches can create a blazing fire. Keep those items in a cabinet that is taller than where your children can reach. 


Another culprit are unattended candles during a celebration such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and other family gatherings. When lighting your candles, make sure they are 12 inches apart from anything that might catch fire. Once the final person leaves the room, make sure the candles are blown out. 


A great alternative to wax candles are electric candles. There are even flickering candle options to create that real candle ambiance.


  1. Christmas Trees

Other than being a beautiful sight during the holidays, Christmas trees can be risky if not treated with care. If you aren’t watering your tree, it can dry out over the course of December. If you have hot lights or electronic ornaments, there’s a chance these could start a flash fire. 


According to the National Fire Protection Association, around 160 cases of Christmas tree fires happen annually. On way to avoid this risk is using an artificial tree. If you are more traditional and need that real tree, buy LED lights that don’t produce heat  that could spark those pine needles. 


Whether you use a real or fake tree, make sure your outlet isn’t overloaded with lights and ornaments.

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