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How Not to Set Your Home On Fire

Fire is a necessity in our lives. It has been used since the beginning of time to help cook foods with and to help bring warmth on chilly evenings. Nowadays, we continue to use it to cook our foods or to provide light in dark hallways or when the storm causes the electricity to go out. We use it for decorative purposes, lighting candles at table for dinner during holidays or romantic evenings. But fire is also destructive, ravaging homes in a matter of minutes if left unattended. It does not discriminate and can burn a

When firing up the fireplace, make sure you use a screen. When decorating your home, it is tempting to place decorative items on top of the mantel or worse, by the fireplace. While it is generally safe to put items for display on top of the mantel, placing items in front of the fireplace is not. First, an item can easily be knocked into the fire. Depending on the size and length, the object will serve as a gateway and allow the fire to travel into the room. Second, if the item has been made with combustible products, it can easily set on fire, even if you think it is a fairly good distance from your fireplace. According to codes set forth by the National Fire Protection Association, keep all items at least five feet from the fireplace.

Do not leave your stove on. It's a very common mishap and happens more than you think. Foods are sometimes left to cook on the stove and are soon forgotten as we become distracted with television, our children, or worse, the need to buy something at the store. Electrical stoves are no exception. One slip-up, and your home can go up in flames. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience. A kitchen towel was accidentally left atop the stove while it was still on. It was only set on medium heat, but it set the towel aflame and was slightly difficult to extinguish.

Candles should only be lit when people are present in the room. Don't forget the incense! Incense may only emit scented smoke, but the little fire burning inside that little stick is enough to bring your whole house down. Incense is usually placed through a hole on an incense holder and is normally stable, but anything can knock it off the holder. If you have cats or live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, a little jolt is all it will need.

Go that extra mile and consider having a sprinkler system installed, if your home does not already have one. It will cost a few hundred dollars initially but can save you thousands of dollars and your sanity in the long run.

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Rachel Yoshida is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like Chicago Water Damage Restoration and Boston Water Damage Restoration.

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