5 Great Ways To Prevent House Fires In The Winter

11/29/2021 (Permalink)

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The winter months bring new obstacles when it comes to preventing fire damage.

As the temperatures drop, properties are prone to things like frozen pipes and house fires. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to prepare your home for winter that will help ensure that disasters don’t happen to your home this winter season.

The professionals at SERVPRO of East Dayton/Beavercreek have put together the following blog post to keep you safe from home fire damage in the winter. Fire damage is known to cause tremendous damage to your home. Being proactive and making a few simple changes now can help ensure that you have a safe place for those cold winter nights ahead!

What are the causes of winter house fires?

When it comes to the winter months, our fire restoration professionals know to expect a rise in the number of fire damage claims. That is because house fires are more common in the winter due to the increased use of heating devices such as space heaters, wood-burning stoves, and fireplaces.

Another major cause of winter house fires is Christmas trees. Christmas trees can become extremely dry and flammable. Pair a dry tree with lights, and you have a potential fire disaster waiting to happen. Remember that one should never place a Christmas tree near heating sources like fireplaces or space heaters.

Five winter house fire prevention tips

1) Check your smoke alarm batteries twice a year

One of the best ways to avoid house fires is by having working smoke alarms on each level of your home. We recommend you test your smoke alarms monthly to ensure they are correctly installed and working. 

2) Properly place space heaters

It is common for us to use space heaters during the winter months to stay warm and comfortable. The biggest threat when using space heaters is close combustible items. Just remember to keep combustibles at least three feet away from any heating source and only to plug one heater into an outlet at a time.

3) Clear the area around your fireplace before lighting

A common cause of a house fire is when people forget to clean the area around their fireplace before attempting to light it. A dirty fireplace with highly combustible materials is a fire hazard. As an additional fireplace safety measure, you can install a screen in front of your fireplace.

4) Keep combustibles away from stovetops and ovens

Keeping combustibles away from any heat source is imperative for avoiding fire damage. Some everyday items which can be combustibles in the kitchen include:

• Dry goods
• Paper towels and paper plates.
• Dishtowels
• Oven mitts

5) Have an easily accessible fire extinguisher

It’s essential to prepare for the worst. For example, having an easily accessible fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen can provide you with a sense of safety and security and increase the likelihood that you will be able to put out a fire before it causes severe damage.

Wrapping up

The winter months are beautiful, but they can also be hazardous. By taking the simple steps listed above, you will significantly decrease any risk of fire damage to your property this winter. The first step in the fight against winter fire damage is being proactive and making small changes in preparation for the upcoming winter months.

We hope you enjoyed the following blog post. The professionals at SERVPRO of East Dayton/Beavercreek are here to help you and your family recover from fire damage. The locals of Dayton, Ohio, choose us as their primary restoration service provider because we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to provide immediate emergency services.