Tips to prevent fire outbreak in a house
It is also safe to vacate a burning house and call for help. Stock photo
What you need to know:
- It takes just a simple mistake for a house to go ablaze. It is therefore important to know the things that can cause fire in a house.
- Asked how this can be overcome, Maale says the only solution to avoiding this kind of problem is ensuring a strong security system at their home. This, he says, would help avoid any kind of break throughs from people intending to cause a fire outbreak in a home.
Our homes are at times prone to fires. This is as a result of several factors. David Wakhabeko, a firefighter with fire masters, Uganda, says electricity is the major factor when it comes to fire in a home. This, he however says, is also accompanied by quite a number of other factors.
Wakhabeko advises that people should by all means ensure they apply preventive firefighting measures in their homes.
Wiring of the house
“Wiring of a house is something that is crucial and therefore should be done by professionals,” says David Wakhabeko. He adds that if not done well, it can lead to fire in home.
Wakhabeko also says: “Ensuring proper wiring also helps in avoiding any damage that can be done by living creatures such as rats.” “Rats can eat up an insulator of the wire exposing the wire which can lead to a short circuit,” he adds.
In case of any threat of fire that could come as a result of poor wiring, Maale Enoch also a firefighter, says one can contain the situation by ensuring they have fire extinguishers in their homes.
He adds that this can help in case of any fire outbreak. Apart from having fire extinguishers, Maale says parents have to be very vigilant when it comes to teenagers in their home.
He says teenagers in their adventurous way of doing things may end up burning a home.
Faulty equipment
Often time, we tend to buy or keep some electrical equipment in our home s for quite a long time. Little do some of us know that this could also be dangerous since it may lead to fire in a home.
“Faulty equipment such as flat irons, fridges and washing machines, among others are some of the equipment that can easily lead to fire in a home,” says Wakhabeko.
This, therefore, means it is dangerous for one to have them in their home adding that it can be worse if they are over loaded on one socket as it may all also cause fire in a home. Wakhabeko advises that one has to avoid doing this.
In addition, Enoch Maale says much as having faulty equipment may be a cause to fire outbreaks in a home one also has to ensure that the equipment are kept in an extremely good condition even though they are new.
Use of candles
Candle usage in a home is also a leading cause of fire outbreak. These, according to Wakhabeko, are even more dangerous in a house if there are close to materials that can easily burn.
“Candles increase the risk of a fire break out in a home most especially if in the same place with things that can easily burn such as Mosquito nets or curtains,” says Wakhabeko.
Unattended to cooking
Unattended to cooking can also be a cause of fire outbreak in a home. This is most dangerous if cooking is being done in places with material that can easily burn.
Wakhabeko advises that cooking should not be left unattended to.
Tighter security
Sometimes a fire outbreak can be as a result of arson. “People with conflicts or misunderstandings with other people may find themselves in this kind of situation,” says Maale.
Asked how this can be overcome, Maale says the only solution to avoiding this kind of problem is ensuring a strong security system at their home. This, he says, would help avoid any kind of break throughs from people intending to cause a fire outbreak in a home.
Wakhabeko, however, says sometimes arson may not be the actual cause of fire in a home.
“Sometimes fires can come from a neighbour’s house,” says Wakhabeko. For this case, he says, one has to just ensure that their home cannot easily be affected by fires from a neighbouring home by making sure that space between their home and neighbours’.
Putting out a fire
•Cut off the oxygen of microwave or oven fires. If something flames up in the oven or the nuke machine, stay calm. Turn off the device, close the door, and watch it closely. Closing it off and eliminating the heat source should make small fires die down quickly. Get your fire extinguisher and watch it closely.
If the fire does not die down, open the door very carefully and spray it with the extinguisher to put the fire out. If you have any trouble whatsoever, call the fire department immediately.
•Use baking soda or salt on grease fires. If you are frying bacon and the grease catches on fire, it can be a tricky proposition. You can use the lid method, or use a slightly damp towel to smother the fire, but usually the safest and quickest (though not cleanest) method is to sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda or salt onto the grease to quickly absorb it and eliminate the fire at the source.
•It is extremely dangerous to try to control or extinguish electrical fires yourself because they are very difficult to anticipate and trace the source of. Get out of your home immediately, and call for help.
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