Perhaps you’ve developed a plan that you and your family will follow in case of emergency in your home. This is a great idea that may save lives one day. However, there are additional steps you should take to prevent the risk of a fire breaking out in your home. Below is information on fires in the home, common causes of fires, and ways you can prevent injuries or damages caused by fire. 

The US Fire Administration has released a report studying fires in the home between 2011 and 2013. According to their research, home fires during these years caused $5.4 billion in losses to property, 8,400 injuries, and 2,025 fatalities. Emergency personnel were called to extinguish fires in 241,700 fires, though many smaller home fires likely occurred that may have caused damage but did not require emergency assistance.

The most common location for home fires was the kitchen. While many of these fires remained small and contained, untended gas burners or burning items in the oven can quickly grow out of control. Ensure that you keep a fire extinguisher in an easily accessible location in the kitchen for this purpose. Periodically inspect the extinguisher to make sure it is ready to go when you need it.

In nearly 25% of all residential fires examined in the study, the home did not contain a functional smoke alarm. However, outside research has shown that only about 2% of all homes don’t have smoke alarms. This means that the odds of a fire growing out of control are much greater where no smoke alarm was available to notify homeowners of growing flames in a different part of the home. Make sure that all rooms have smoke alarms, and that you regularly replace batteries in those alarms.

The older a home is, the likelier it is that the electrical system will cause a fire, with homes over 40 years old bringing the highest risk of electrical fire. If you live in an older home, ensure that you have the wiring regularly inspected to ensure that it has not been damaged from being overloaded by modern appliances for which it wasn’t designed, and have repair work done up to current code by a licensed contractor.

If you or a family member have experienced burn injuries or damages to your home from a defective appliance, contact the Morristown personal injury attorneys at Smith & Doran for a consultation, at 973-292-0016.