What Causes House Fires In Columbia And Methods To Prevent Them

When you own a home, one of the most menacing dangers to your property and family members is the chance of fire. The U.S. Fire Administration projected in 2019 that American homeowners underwent approximately $1.6 billion in losses due to unintentional or careless fires. Unfortunately, fires are unpredictable and many times stoppable -- if you know where to start. And hopefully you are ready with a monitored fire alarm that gets you emergency responders ASAP should you experience an emergency.

What Causes House Fires In Columbia?

Fires can happen in any spot at any time in the home. However, you can lessen the risk of a house fire if you take countermeasures around the following objects:

• Stoves and Ovens: Cooking is overwhelmingly the number 1 cause of a house fire in Columbia. Kitchen-related fires typically start when the kitchen goes unattended while making the meal. Water thrown on a grease fire can quickly escalate a flame that would on the other hand be contained.
  
  
• Candles: Nodding off in a room with a going candle is risky, even if you’re using a deep candle holder. The flame can blow and catch a curtain on fire if left near a window, and animals can knock candles over. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that more than 7,600 houses were damaged because of candle-related accidents between 2014-2018.
  
  
• Electrical wires: Faulty electrical circuit interrupters, “tamper-resistant” electrical outlets, aging or poorly installed lighting, and cut lamp cords are all prone to sparks. Be careful not to overload your outlets or plug anything in with exposed electrical components. If for any reason you hear a pop or catch a whiff of smoke from the outlet, turn the breaker off ahead of checking it out.

• Space Heaters: Skip over coiled space heaters because junk, like dust, old papers, or blankets can accidentally make contact and catch fire. However, you need to make sure to oversee fan and ceramic space heaters for the entire duration of operation.

• Cigarettes: In 2014 alone, U.S. fire departments fought blazes in more than 17,000 residence fires started by smoking paraphernalia. So if you have a smoker in the house, ensure they never pass out with a cigarette or smoke in bed. And fully extinguish your paraphernalia before you toss it into a waste bin.

A Monitored Smoke Detector Can Brings Help Quickly When You Have A Fire

If a fire should start, you will need to have an early warning system to inform your loved ones before it's too late. A traditional smoke alarm is adequate but can only alert you if smoke is abundant. A state-of-the-art fire alarm -- a security device that's tied to your home security network -- is powerful enough to detect both smoke and climbing heat and can do more to ensure your family is safe.

A monitored fire alarm has multiple methods by which it can alert you of rising heat. Your alarms can alert you with an incredibly loud tone and a message to your smartphone. All the while, your always-on monitoring experts will contact the fire department. And if you're ever somewhere in which you can't get you your house when a fire breaks out, you can have peace of mind that your monitoring agent will maintain communication between you and the fire department.

Get Your Monitored Fire Alarms From Secure24 Alarm Systems

The possibility of house fires in Columbia should never be underestimated, but you can have peace of mind if you use a monitored fire alarm on hand. Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems, and we’ll help you get all the safety detectors you need with a state-of-the-art home security system. Call (573) 203-3048 or fill out the form below to get started.