Santa's Friend Chimney Service

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Common Causes of Fire in Your Home

Understanding the common causes of home fires leaves every homeowner and apartment dweller better prepared to prevent them. In some cases, a schedule of routine inspections and cleanings by certified professionals can minimize the clearest dangers. In others, a correction of all-too-common bad habits is required to safeguard the home from unintended fire.

Common Causes of Fire - Jackson MS - Santa's Friend Chimney

The most common five pieces of the home safety puzzle that are most likely to cause a problem are:

  1. the chimney
  2. the kitchen stove
  3. the clothes dryer vent
  4. grills and fire pits
  5. kids and pets

Kids and Their Parents

Kids are not the only ones who play with fire, adults do it every time they light a fire beneath a dirty chimney. Grown-ups are careless too at times, firing up patio grills on windy days and walking away from stoves. They toss cigarette butts off balconies and build fires too big to be contained by the pit that is too near a low-hanging branch.

Either carelessness or neglect is almost always behind a fire and adults are usually the ones responsible. Nonetheless, children intentionally play with fire and they unintentionally come too close to it, putting themselves and the home at risk. Lighters, matches, flammable fluids and igniters need to be kept well out of reach, as do burning candles.

Carelessness in Common

The fire dangers posed by neglected chimneys and clothes dryer vents are fairly well known and can be substantially reduced with regular cleanings. Renters need to ask their landlords to clean their chimneys and vents, and homeowners need to talk to their sweeps. Regardless of whether it’s a homeowner’s own or someone else’s, carelessness is what is usually behind chimney and vent fires. Don’t let your home be the next preventable tragedy!

By Jim Robinson on March 28th, 2013 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment