Your home or other workplace is the most commonplace for catching fire from the heating equipment or other appliances and doing smoking in the rooms.
The conditions ideal for catching up fire include dry climate with high temperatures. However, to prevent yourself from catching fire you can take the following measures and precautions.
But before that let’s have a look at the 11 most common causes of the fire.
The major causes of fire eruption include:
1. Heating Equipment
Winter is a season where heaters are mostly incorporated at homes. Portable heaters are also a great source of catching fire. Keep them at an appropriate distance i.e. around one meter ahead.
Keep it away from flammable materials such as laundry, curtains, clothes, furniture and even your body. If your house has a built-in furnace, keep a check on that as well or get it inspected regularly. Make sure it is working effectively with safety standards.
2. Cooking Appliances
If you overheat your pans and pots for a longer time, it can cause a fire. You need to focus and pay attention while cooking as you also catch fire on your clothes.
Avoid being distracted while cooking and never leave the kitchen unattended. Ask someone to look over the cooking pans or stay inside the room while your food is being cooked.
3. Smoking
Keep your smoking habits for outdoor places only as they can cause the burst of flames. Bedrooms are the places where you should prohibit any smoking.
You should properly put out your cigarette as it can cause the fire. If they leave it alit for few hours, it can cause a huge fire. It can catch the entire room with fire if comes in contact with the flammable materials such as your furniture, wooden floor or others. Most of the house fires erupt from the bedrooms so be careful.
4. Candles
Candles are beautiful and add a perfect glimpse to your overall place. However, it can hazardous if left unattended as they can easily result in flames.
Keep your candles far away from places which are flammable such as tissue boxes, books or wooden material. Blow candle as soon as you plan to leave the room.
5. Electrical Equipment
Toasters, ovens, refrigerators or other electrical equipment’s can easily catch fire if the wires are faulty or having frayed cords. You can also catch fire if you are using a power point with overloaded double adapters and using the appliances which use an extra amount of electricity.
The extension cord of power point can also be hazardous if not used appropriately. Keep a proper check on your power points and appliances to avoid such situations at your home.
6. Faulty Wiring
Avoid having faulty wirings at your home or workplace as it can cause fire breakout. You should keep a look on the signs of inadequate wiring such as dim lights on the use of the appliance, disconnected appliance on the use of other appliance, tripping of the circuit or blowing of the fuse.
Call a licensed electrician and ask him to inspect the house for faulty wirings. You can also contact the landlord in case you find such wiring issues.
7. Curious Children
Kids are very curious about lightning fire. They can set any objects on fire. I, therefore, recommend it to avoid placing lighters or matches nearby your children.
It is better to install a fire alarm in your child’s room to protect them from such emergencies. Prepare your entire family for the home escape plan.
Teach the protocol to your kids regarding the fire breakout they should stop and drop themselves. They should cover and roll call the fire extinguishing service as soon as possible.
8. Flammable Liquids
Flammable liquids such as kerosene, methylated spirits, and petrol can cause the fire. Keep a check on these flammable liquids.
Check where to store the flammable liquids and keep them away from any heat source. Be very careful while handling these flammable liquids.
9. Barbeque
Barbeques are perfect if you are planning them at outdoor places. Plan a barbeque party away from your home, plants, tree branches or tablecloths as these items are flammable and can easily catch fire.
Keep your barbeque grills properly cleaned and maintained with the help of soapy water. Clean all the removable parts and keep a check on any leaks from the gas bottle before using it at all times.
10. Lighting
The lamp globes or light fittings can eventually build up the heat and lead to the hazardous fire. You need to check the house for lamp bases.
You should knock them off if you find the heated light fittings and lamp globes to avoid catching your home on fire. Keep a check over the downlights and insulate the lights by ceiling timbers or wood paneling.
11. Chemicals & Gases
A home fire can occur because of the natural gases or the source of propane. An immediate spark if mixed with a minor leak can cause a highly combustible situation.
Improper mixing of household chemicals can also result in a dangerous situation so be careful.
What to Ensure in Case of Fire Eruption at Home?
Follow these simple tips to save yourself in case of fire at home:
- Fire Extinguisher:
Get yourself a fire extinguisher as a perfect preventive measure. Using the fire extinguisher can instantly put down the fire. Install Fire extinguishers in your homes and workplaces to prevent fire.
- Fire Alarm:
Fire alarms are also a must in your home so they can inform the entire family but also shout when the house is on fire instead of only relying on the fire alarms. Smoke detectors and fire alarms can malfunction because of their battery issues. Regular inspection of smoke alarms is mandatory for their proper functioning.
- Fire Department:
Call 911 or fire department if your phone is nearby. Otherwise, move out of the house and ask your neighbors to make a call.
- Valuables:
Leave all your valuables aside as your life is more important than the materialistic things. Never delay rushing through the escape routes and protect yourself along with your family members.
- Follow the Protocol to Save Yourself:
If your clothes are on fire, avoid running just drop and roll yourself towards the fire extinguisher. Try to crawl and stay towards the ground. Keep yourself away from increased temperatures and thick smoke that might occur because of fire.
- Avoid the Entrance of Gases in Your Lungs:
Cover your nose with a damp towel or your shirt to prevent the smoke from entering your lungs. Cover your child’s face and protect them from the fire.
- Close the Doors:
Once you rush through the rooms where the fire occurs, try closing the doors. According to different studies, it concludes that closing doors can prevent the spread of fire.
- Leave Your Valuables Behind:
Once you are successful in escaping the house on fire, avoid thinking about your valuables or animals left inside. Never try to enter the burning house. Call the fire department immediately to put down the fire.
- Plan an Evacuation Spot:
Decide an evacuation spot with the rest of your family members beforehand. Wait for the entire family to reach the same spot. It allows the fire department so stop wasting time in searching for the rest of the family members.
Volcanic eruptions occur when the ash, molten rocks and steam pass through the vents within the Earth’s crust. Volcanic eruptions occur because of the magma which is a mixture of dissolved gases, liquid rocks, and crystals.
This mixture of gases expels over the earth’s surface which includes Sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen gas, methane, carbon monoxide, and others. There are 3 different magma which include mafic, intermediate and felsic.
All magmas contain gases that have an explosive character. The most common gases involved in the volcanic eruption include H20, C02 and minor amounts of CL, F, and Sulfur. The temperature range of volcanic eruptions ranges 800-12000C.
The viscosity of volcanic eruptions depends on their types. The primary products of volcanic eruption include lava flow, ash falls, poisonous gas emissions and pyroclastic material. Other tertiary products of volcanic eruption include mudflow, flooding, debris flow, and landslides, tsunami, atmospheric effects along with earthquakes.
Conclusion:
Fires can be very scary, they can do a lot of destruction to your important valuables. The fire can also result in severe injuries and death of your loved ones.
Keep in mind the most common causes of fire and the ways to prevent them to protect yourself and the entire family from such incidents. Keep yourself with these preventive tips and measures. Share the same tips with all your family members.
Small steps can save your life and your loved ones. Switch normal candles to LED ones, avoid smoking at the home, keep yourself away from frayed wires and teach your family members regarding the evacuation plan in case of emergency.
