23 frightening signs that your home is a fire hazard

Do not let these errors get you off night.


This is the worst nightmare of each person to be awake in the middle of the night by the smell of smoke. And unfortunately, this scenario is too common: according to theNational Fire Protection Association (NFPA), about 355,400 fires at home between 2012 and 2016, which caused $ 6.5 billion in property damage, 11,670 injuries and 2,560 deaths. While regularly testing yoursmoke detector, have fire extinguishers within fire, andno smoking Can reduce your risk of structure, many surprising factors can contribute to a fire in your home that you probably do not know. Read it to find out what the best fire safety professionals want you to keep safe.

1
You live in a more recent house.

black couple standing in front of suburban house, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Monkey Business Images

As counter-intuitive that it can ring, live in anew construction actually increases the fire risk factor for your home. In addition, if you live in a more modern house and it takes fire, it is also more likely to spread faster.

"A more recent house will burn four times faster than older construction and older houses," saysTom Hart, Firefighter in the Yonkers Fire Department in New York and a Security Engineer at the International Engineering CorporationSyska Hennessy. It is because of flammable plastics and more recent wood than builders use today. "The coating and finish on modern wood burns much faster and are much more likely to burn," says Hart.

2
You have leaks in your plumbing.

dripping faucet, fire prevention tips
Refuge

Althoughthe water We generally consider the deadly enemy of the fire, the liquid can also be the cause of a fire of the house if you are not careful. "If you have water leaks through the structure and it happens to come into contact with electrical wires, electrical boxes or electrical outlets, you could have a short," saysChuck Roydhouse, a retired professional firefighter and president of thePathy Safety Institute of America (CSIA). At the first sign of water damage, it is paying to call aplumber As well as an electrician, or this short could cause a fire inside your wall.

3
Your painting is peeled.

peeling blue paint above bathtub, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Kapitaux Olga

Although most people associate the coatPaint With lead or moisture contamination problems, this may also be a sign of a potential fire. If you notice a paint paint "around the hose venting a furnace, a boiler or a wood stove, or on the area above your opening of the chimney", there can be an electrical element that overheats behind the wall , according to Roydhouse. It notes that fading wall panels or discolored sheetrock can also be signs of the same problem.

4
You keep your lawn mower in the basement.

person mowing lawn with electric lawnmower, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Kurhan

If you have no pickup on your property, you probably store your gas lawn mowerIn your basement To keep it away from the elements. But this could be a major fire hazard.

According to Roydhouse, gas powder equipment can overheat inside and "finding a source of ignition", thus starting a fire. Its advice is to "make sure to keep [his lawn mower] stored from the house in a type of hangar or another closed environment".

5
You live in a congested space.

cluttered storage room, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / PARNC

No one can be expected tokeep their house neat and organized 24/7, but if you have a lot ofFouillis in your house Constantly, you put yourself inadvertently in danger. According to Hart, the storage rooms andbasement Stacked with nearby boxes of the electrical panels is often a source of fast fires (and difficult to contain).

6
You have a mouse problem.

wild mouse standing in flour, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Landshark1

Find that someone else you snack on food in your pantry is not the only disadvantage of havingmouse. As Hart notes, the threads that have been chewed by rodents are "a common source of electric fires". The good news? Not only are the signs of a mouse infestation are quite obvious, but electric fires have an easy characteristic combustion smell to spot before making real flames. So, if you feel something to burn and you can not locate its source, it is better to call 911 before things come out of the hand.

7
You do not push your electronics regularly.

woman dusting TV, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Andrey_popov

The dusting can be an ungrateful work, but do not keep these own electronic products can present a greater risk for your safety than you imagine. "The dust is flammable," says Hart. And that'sAppliances more likely to overheat. Once a spark device, this dust can ignite, leading to a fast propagation fire that is difficult to save.

8
You stack the laundry on your dryer.

laundry basket
Refuge

Remember to leave piles of foldslaundryAt the top of your dryer before putting them away does not matter? Still think. Hart cits driers stacked with laundry as one of the surprisingly common sources of home fires. And unfortunately, this is not the only risk of fire associated with your dryer.

Even if you think you are clever to clean this device, you may always want to give it another passage. This occasional wiping of your plush trap will not just cut it. "Gas dryers must be cleaned inside and out, around and behind," says Hart.

9
You decorate with hay in autumn.

hay bales and pumpkins, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Michael C. Gray

Decorative hay bullets - or if you have a farm, the ones you use to feed your livestock - may present a surprising fire risk if they are stored near you. "The hay does combustion spontaneously," says Hart. Even more surprising is that "moist hay is actuallyFollowing likely to combustion "that dry stuff, due to different levels of moisture in bullets.

10
And you do not clean your yard when the leaves begin to fall.

young children raking leaves, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Sergey Novikov

Autumn cleaning dead leaves and vegetation is not just good for yourplants. It's also essential for your safety. According to Roydhouse, mowing your lawn and elimination of leaves assures you "" you do not have a lot of dead bush or dead plants, which are very combustible. "

11
You leave expansion cords outside all summer.

outdoor extension cord on spool, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Lyudmyla Nikolenko

Keep your sprinkler plugged into an extension cordKeep out exterior fun going all summerBut it can also raise a fire in your home. Roydhouse notes that the insulation protection extensions can be easily decomposed by foot traffic orsunlight, potentially leading to an electric fire over time.

12
Or you run near Evergreen's trees.

pinon tree, fire prevention tips
Refuge

You probably know not to run your outdoor extensions through water or dry vegetation, but did you know that running them next to persistent leaf trees can be dangerous? "They are loaded with oils and they burn very quickly even if they are totally green," says Roydhouse.

13
Or you run them under carpets.

gray rug on hardwood floor, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Studio Light and Shade

Although extensions can be disgraceful, trying to hide them under carpets is a serious fire. "Runing them under the carpet will simply add heat accumulation and they will catch fire eventually - it's just a matter of time," says Hart.

14
You hang your curtains on a radiator.

fancy yellow curtain with tassel tieback, fire prevention tips
Refuge

These curtains that flow hide your unsightly radiator are alsoput you off. "Synthetic materials that are made are more likely to catch," says Hart. And unfortunately, these fires tend to control rapidly because of the speed with which they propagate. While you might feel a camera overheat in time to turn it off, when a ceiling curtain is triggered, it can engulf an entire room in seconds.

16
Or you have long curtains in the kitchen.

kitchen curtains, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Mama_Mia

Yes, long curtainsIn your kitchenare not much better when it comes to fire safety. When catching a breeze from an open window, they can easily "get in touch with cooking vertices or any other electrical device you may have in the kitchen," says Roydhouse.

16
Your furnace has not been maintained for a while.

furnace vents, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Charles Knowles

Although this may seem stoves and spatial heating devices are theThe devices most likely to put your cable your home, Hart says that "the device number one bound to fire is ovens." And unfortunately, it's not just a defective oven wiring that can cause problems. "If they are older or dusty, sometimes these heaters burn," Hart note, who says it can cause a fire in the ducts of the house.

17
You use the drawer under your stove for storage.

open stainless steel oven in a white modern kitchen, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / New Africa

This drawer under your stoveaim-And cutting boardstorage room Is not it. In fact, using this warming drawer toSTOW MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES Could be the very thing that ends up burning your home.

Accidentally lighting the grilling drawer while things are included, it puts you at the risk of a serious fire. And if the things you stored in your stove, Hart recommends leaving the closed cooker, deactivating it, unplug it if possible, andCalling 911.

18
You have more than one major device plugged into the same feeder.

appliances plugged into a power strip, fire prevention tips
Refuge

Although power strips can be useful when you have more electronics than you do only output spaces, they are supposed to be used as "temporary peripherals", HART precautions. "Even when you do not think it's overloaded, it's probably."

It warns that even two computers connected to a single power strip can be enough to cause a short and fire. "If you need more power in a certain room in your home, you need an electrician, no more extensions or current strips," says Hart.

19
You purchase battery powered toys on Sketchy websites.

woman riding hoverboard in canvas sneakers, fire prevention tips
Refuge

It must be toy to the battery that everyone has been redeemed about may seem cool, but if it is not a good-reputable business, it is unlikely to have undergone the necessary tests for whether safe. "DefectiveBattery Are the main cause of Hoverboard's explosions, "says Hart. It also stresses that electrical bikes assembled at home can be a surprising shooting source, because" these companies are not yet really regulated. "

20
You do not pay attention to the power of your bulbs.

woman installing white lightbulb in home, fire prevention tips
Refuge

"Always use the correct manufacturers list for aampule, "says Hart." The higher power ampoules are more likely to lead to overheating and, finally, fire. "

21
You do not have a dedicated storage for your hot hair tools.

flat iron, straightening iron, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Parilov

Of course, you may have turned off this flat iron, but that does not mean you necessarily play security. In addition to being a frequent cause of electrical shorts, Hart says that leave a hot tool on a plastic or wood surface, even if it is disabled or unplugged - has the potential to start a fire. His suggestions? "Always use it at the same place and make sure it's left somewhere safety to refresh", like a wire storage rack, a stone countertop or inside a resistant silicone handle in the heat.

22
You have not improved your electrical service in a long time.

electrical panel on exterior of home, fire prevention tips
Refuge

Your never trip fuses and your lights slipped, then your electric fire is virtually zero, right? Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. If you have not upgraded the electric panel of your home in years, it is likely that you overload it.

According to Hart, a common recipe for the disaster is "the new devices that draw more electricity plugged into an older electrical power [source]". Not only does the entire electrical panel burns and do not reach the fire, but these flames can ride on the side of your home and cause multiple damage.

23
You leave your kids cook alone.

little girl whisking cake batter, fire prevention tips
Shutterstock / Rawpixel.com

Is it nice to imagine the day whenYour little onesCan prepare meals for themselves - or you! - Unattended? Sure! However, this culinary independence should not start too early. "In general with the kitchen, [if you are] under the age of 14, you should be watched by a parent," says Hart. And for more useful home tips, here's here 21 ways of damaging your home, according to your master .

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Categories: Smarter Living
Tags: cleaning / Home
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