Facts about Home Fires

1/6/2018 (Permalink)

Home fires in the United States are continuously a safety issue. In fact, more than 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in home fires. As such, being as educated as possible about home fires is important to protecting your loved ones and your house from potential fire hazards. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, each year throughout the country over 2,500 people die and 12,600 people are injured as a result of a home fire. While they certainly range in severity, fires are something that must be treated seriously no matter the size. Most natural disasters are scary due to their unpredictability, fires, on the other hand, are entirely preventable. The ability to prevent a fire from occurring lies largely in one’s fire education.

Keeping in the mind the following facts about fire can make a huge impact on staying safe in the event of a fire emergency or in preventing a fire from starting in the first place:

• 60 percent of home fire deaths happen when there are no smoke alarms or the smoke alarms are not working
• Every home should have a fire escape plan in place, but only 30 percent of Americans have one
• Each day, an average of 7 people in the U.S. die in a home fire
• The leading cause of home fire deaths is smoking materials
• The leading cause of home fire injuries is cooking equipment
• About 50 percent of home fires deaths are reported between the hours of 11pm and 7am
• The risk of dying in a fire is cut in half when there is a working smoke alarm present
• In the event of a home fire, everyone must get low to crawl under the smoke towards the nearest exit of the home
• Once a smoke alarm goes off, you only have a few seconds to escape the home

It is important to remember that after a fire no one should go back into the building unless instructed to do so by a firefighter. Fire damage can be especially upsetting and destructive for your family to process. You may feel stressed, confused, and vulnerable, so you’ll need a caring expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO specializes in fire damage restoration and we’ll treat you with respect and empathy, and we’ll always treat your home and belongings with care. We have the specific damage restoration training, personnel, and equipment and can quickly restore your home to pre-fire condition.