Common Causes of Residential Fires in Milwaukie, Oregon

1/19/2020 (Permalink)

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are 5 main causes of home fires: cooking, heating, electrical, smoking, and candles. Below are safety tips for keeping your home safe from a fire:

• Cooking
• Always stay in the kitchen when cooking something on the stovetop
• Heat oils slowly to temperate 
• Add food slowly to the pan to avoid splashing 
• Always cook with a lid next to your pan to suffocate a fire if the need ever arises
• Heating
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from any heating equipment
• Never use your oven to heat your home
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional 
• Electrical
• Have all electrical work done by a qualified professional 
• Only have one heat-producing appliance plugged into an outlet at a time 
• Check electrical cords to make sure they are not running across doorways or under carpets. Extension cords are intended for temporary use. Have a qualified electrician add more receptacle outlets so you don’t have to use extension cords. 
• Smoking
• If you smoke, smoke outside. Most deaths result from fires that started in living rooms, family rooms and dens or in bedrooms
• Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, and other smoking materials up high out of the reach of children, in a locked cabinet. 
• Use a deep, sturdy ashtray. Place it away from anything that can burn
• Candles 
• Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.
• Keep candles at least 1 foot (30 centimeters) away from anything that can burn.
• Have flashlights and battery-powered lighting ready to use during a power outage. Never use candles

If a fire does occur in your home, call SERVPRO of Milwaukie Happy Valley to take care of the cleanup. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year to make it “Like it never even happened.”