10 Common Causes of House Fires and How to Prevent Them

The month of March kicks off summertime in the Philippines but since it’s the hottest month of the year, it’s also when fire incidents are highest. In order to propagate safety consciousness among our people, March was declared National Fire Prevention Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 115-A signed in 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, over 2,000 fire incidents were recorded from January to February this year, compared to over 3,800 during the same period in 2014.

Any type of home is again at a high risk of house fires during these times. It is almost every day that people hear a house, a building and sometimes a whole community burned down to nothing. But these destructive fires can be prevented from happening if we know the most common causes.

1. Cooking Equipment

Most kitchen fires occur because people get distracted and leave their cooking unattended. It can take just seconds for a pot or pan to cause fire when it overheats or splatters grease.

Prevention: Always stand by your pan because it’s important to give anything that’s on top of your stove your undivided attention. Keep LPG tank outside or in a well-ventilated area. Keep combustibles such as dish towels, oven mitts and paper towels away from heat sources.

2. Electrical Equipment

A lot of people think that faulty wiring is the root of the fire. What actually happens is the wires or circuit becomes overloaded due to an increase in the load the circuit carries without changing the size of the wires. The wires then tend to overheat in the circuit caused by the additional load.

Prevention: Don’t overuse an extension cord. Just because there is an open plug doesn’t mean you can plug anything into it. Check your electrical appliances for loose or frayed cords/plugs. Lastly, don’t run electrical wires under rugs or heavy furniture.

3. Careless Smoking

In the Philippines, smoking is the fourth leading cause of fire. People who smoke, especially in bed, tend to become drowsy or fall asleep and forget to extinguish their cigarette properly.

Prevention: Use big, deep ashtray and never place an ashtray on or near anything that will burn. Furthermore, check furniture for fallen cigarettes/embers.

4. Open Flames

Unattended burning candles or kerosene lamps that are placed near flammable or combustible material is a fire waiting to happen.

Prevention: Blow out candles before leaving the room. Place them in a sturdy holder on a level surface and make sure they are far away from combustible materials and out of reach of children or pets.

5. Children Playing with Fire

Out of curiosity or mischief, children cause fires. Kids playing with matches or lightersdon’t fully comprehend the risks they are taking which is a cause for concern.

Prevention: Check whether they have matches or lighters in their room or possession, smell sulphur in their room, and/or find toys or other personal effects that appear to have been melted. Supervision is incredibly important as well as teaching your kids about fire safety.

6. Flammable Liquids

There are many products left around the home that are highly flammable such as fuels, solvents, cleaning agents, thinners, adhesives, paints, and other raw materials that can ignite or explode if stored improperly.

Prevention: Don’t place flammable liquids near a heating source (vapours can easily ignite from even just high temperatures or weak ignition sources) but rather store them outside the home in a cool ventilated area, in tightly sealed containers.

7. Faulty Wiring

As houses age, the electrical wiring can become “worn out,” leading to dangerous predicaments within the walls that homeowners cannot see.  A clear warning sign is when a fuse blows or the circuit breaker trips frequently.

Prevention: It is well worth the investment to have a certified electrician examine the house’s electrical system.

8. Lighting

Installing a bulb with a wattage that is too high for the lamps and light fixtures is a leading cause of electrical fires. Sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a chance that the ballast can start a fire.

Prevention: Regularly check light fittings for heat build up. Discard lampshades that are close to light globes & lamp bases that can be knocked over easily.

9. Overnight charging

People should avoid leaving devices to charge unattended, especially overnight. Hearing about phones or tablets exploding or busting into flames isn’t so uncommon. A battery may explode due to overcharging while you’re sleeping and set fire to your house.

Prevention: Only use original batteries and chargers. Substandard batteries don’t include the fuse which disconnects the circuit in the case of overheating of the battery.  Don’t leave your device in hot areas, especially if it’s charging. It only makes overheating problems worse. Ambient temperatures affect batteries a lot.

10. Pets

You wouldn’t believe how easy it is for a dog to get in trouble with fire. Dogs can climb up and accidentally hit the stove knobs potentially making an extremely flammable situation or puppies can chew on electrical cords which can electrocute them and consequently cause fire.

Prevention: When you’re not home and when you’re not awake, use crates to prevent new dogs or puppies from chewing on electrical cords. This will also prevent them from urinating on electrical objects and starting a fire. Remove stove knobs when you’re not using the stove or invest in knob protectors to prevent stovetop fires.

Always remember that if a fire should occur, you and your family’s safety will all depend on calm, rational actions. The first priority should be is to get you and all your family members out of the house as quickly as possible. When it comes to house fires, timing is everything.

Since it’s easy to become disoriented and upset during an emergency, you’ll need to have all the important phone numbers readily available ahead of time. Make sure your family knows emergency phone numbers and your children know how to place a call for help. In case of fire, you can call the Bureau of Fire Protection at the following numbers: 729-5166 / 410-6254 / 431-8859 / 407-1230.

Do you have a fire preventive measure in mind? Feel free to share it with us.

Source: www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/03/02/1429139/fires-hit-metro-manila-prevention-month-kicks