4 Most Common Causes of House Fires

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Knowledge comes before prevention, which is why we want to educate you regarding disasters that could occur. While it’s never fun imagining all the “what-ifs,” it’s an integral step to strategizing and planning how you can take the necessary steps to avoid the “what-ifs” to the best of your abilities. This includes knowing what the most common causes of house fires are! 

We’ve compiled a list of 4 of the most common causes of house fires so you know what precautions to take to avoid your home catching ablaze.

1) Cooking

You probably already guessed—cooking is the most common cause of house fires across the country. We frequent our kitchens often to cook meals (or even just to microwave them), and many of the kitchen appliances we frequently use include electrical components as well as open flames if you have a gas stove. Your microwave, stove, oven, and even your fridge and dishwasher are susceptible to causing house fires while you cook if you don’t properly clean up grease and other flammable materials that you may use while cooking, like oil. Overheating food in the microwave leading to combustion fires is also very real! Be careful while cooking, and don’t forget to clean up as you go or, at the very least, after you’re done cooking.

2) Heaters

Another common culprit of house fires is heaters. Heaters are often placed too close to clothes, furniture, bedding, fabric, and other flammable materials, which burst into flames when they become too hot. Having clothing hung over them to dry or placing them too close to curtains are also common ways that heaters cause house fires, so you should always use space heaters with caution. Make sure they’re placed on even ground and are at least two feet away from anything flammable. Heaters should also be regularly cleaned. 

3) Cigarettes

Smoking cigarettes can lead to deadly house fires. Be careful about where and when you smoke cigarettes to avoid house fires at all costs. Cigarettes and other materials that are smoked should always be properly extinguished and disposed of, and flicking them into shrubs, onto your porch or balcony, or elsewhere is a potential recipe for disaster. Be vigilant and stay safe while smoking near your home, if you do it at all.

4) Washing Machines and Dryers

Laundry appliances, in particular clothes dryers, are another very common cause of house fires. The build-up of lint, dust, dirt, as well as the clothes circulating within clothes dryers, can catch aflame within the machine or due to lint in the external dryer vent. Washing machines and clothes dryers can alight because of electrical faults, and this is also true of any large kitchen appliances or other appliances like furnaces, fireplaces, and wood stoves that you may have in your home.

No matter what may cause damage to your home, whether it be fire, water, a storm, or mold, our team at SERVPRO of Aurora can help you at a moment’s notice. Just contact us at (630) 862-3930 for a highly trained technician to be on their way to you! This franchise is independently owned and operated.