Is Your Home a Prime Target for Fire Damage?

Thousands of accidental fires are causes each year in the United States, claiming many homes and businesses. Just a couple years ago, the United States Fire Administration reported over 1,240,000 fires, 3240 deaths, and 11.5 billion dollars of damage at the hands of fire damage alone. Does your home have the same problems many of the homes in these fires did? Below are a few of the most common things that led to those fires occurring.

 Electrical Failure-

This is especially dangerous because it can come from so many sources around your home. Faulty wiring, bad outlets, and overloaded circuits are just a few of the things that promote electrical fires. Take care to keep an extra close eye on those things listed above. Recognizing your wiring I beginning to go bad before it reaches a critical point could prevent disaster.

 Candles-

Candles look great, and they smell great. The problem is, they also burn great as well. All it takes is a careless pet, or a distracted child to knock the candle over and just like that you could have a full on fire in your home. There are many stylish and safe alternatives to candles. You may want to look into those options so your home still has the warm, inviting scent that comes from a candle but without the danger.

 Christmas tress/Christmas lights-

One sure way to ruin Christmas time is a house fire. This is an all too real reality for many people. We’re not saying not to have a Christmas or use light, but we are saying that serious thought needs to be given as to how you will keep your Christmas tree from becoming a tinder box. A couple simple solutions are to buy a plastic tree which looks like a normal tree just without the danger and hassle. If you’re traditional and want to stick with the tree though, just make sure you buy quality lights, keep the tree well-watered so it won’t dry out, and turn the lights off when you’re sleeping or out of the house.

 Careless smoking-

Still-burning cigarette butts left on the ground are a huge cause of house fires. There’s no real trick to prevention in this case. It’s really just a matter of common sense. At your home, always smoke near an ash tray so you have somewhere to dispose of the cigarette. When disposing of a cigarette smash the burning end into the ground or ashtray to cut off the oxygen and extinguish the fire. Ideally, however, smoking near or in your home should be avoided if it can be. Otherwise, it will always be a risk to some degree.

 Even when you’ve done your absolute best to prevent a fire from occurring, there are some cases when it’s simply not preventable If that happens to you, and you find yourself reeling from the consequences of a house fire, we at Stover’s Restoration in Wichita, Kansas are here to help. We work around the clock to provide cleaning and restoration services to anyone affected by fire damage. So if the unthinkable happens and you find yourself in that situation, don’t hesitate to call Stover’s restoration any time for your fire damage and restoration needs.