Fires are often unexpected and can cause severe injuries. If you don’t have fire safety measures implemented, this could risk getting injured from the fire. How safe is your house or apartment in case of a major fire? Here are some ways you can check to see how prepared your home is and how you can make it better protected in case of a disaster you may not anticipate:
Check Your Home’s Safety
Fires can start from the following sources and potentially cause burn injuries in your house or apartment. The following are common sources of fires in the home.
- Electrical Cord Fires. Cords with exposed wires can spark and potentially catch fire.
- Candles. It’s a common issue for people to light candles and forget they’re lit. When candles are left burning, they can generate a lot of heat. Candles that are too close to flammable or combustible materials can start fires.
- Faulty Products. Defective products like household appliances or children’s toys may have a manufacturing or design issue that poses a fire hazard.
- Smoking. Ashes from cigarettes or cigarettes that aren’t fully put out can continue to smoke and burn. The cigarette’s proximity to flammable objects may cause a fire.
- Cooking Fires. Items left on the stove for too long can burn and catch fire. There’s also the danger from open flames on a stove. Cooking materials left too close to the open flame may combust as well.
- Christmas Trees. These are a typical staple for many homes in December. However, live Christmas trees are major fire hazards. While the trees are kept in water, over time they eventually dry out as the tree dies. Hot, dry conditions are common factors in Christmas tree fires. The heat from Christmas tree lights could be enough to cause a fire. Because the tree is so dry, the whole tree can easily be engulfed in flames.
No matter if you live in a house or an apartment, you need the following to maintain fire safety. For people in houses, these responsibilities will fall on you. Those who live in apartments should keep an eye on these ways to stay safe from fires, but the responsibly falls on the landlord. If they’re not keeping their building or tenants safe, they’re risking severe injury or death if a fire happens.
- Working Smoke Detectors. Smoke detectors can be your first indication that there’s a fire. These need to have fresh batteries so you can depend on them.
- Fire Extinguishers. These can help quell a fire before it gets out of hand. However, they do expire. You need to make sure your fire extinguisher is up to date so it will work if you need it.
- Clear Escape Routes. If you live in a house, develop fire route plans. This could include collapsible ladders on windows above the ground floor. These routes should be free of obstruction and easily accessible. If you’re in an apartment, your landlord needs to keep fire escapes unlocked and clear so people can use them in case of emergency.
Get Help from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC
If you’ve suffered from burn injuries because of a fire that was caused by an individual’s or company’s negligence, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and potentially receive compensation that can help cover your medical costs and more. To get started, get in touch with us today for an obligation-free consultation.
