Summertime is a particularly dangerous time for residential fires, with nearly 5,000 taking place during the summer months each year. With all the grilling, fireworks, and other risky activities, it’s very important to be aware of the most common summer fire risks and also to know how to avoid them. At Centennial Construction & Remodeling Services, Inc., we’ve done enough fire damage restoration that we know the serious damage that fires can cause a home.
Here are the most common risks of residential fires during the summer months and how to prevent them.
Grilling
Probably the number one summer fire risk, grilling has caused thousands of home fires—and mostly through simple carelessness. Most people love to cook out during the summer months, so understanding and knowing how to avoid accidents is vital. It’s smart to maintain a safety zone of at least three feet around the grill whenever it’s being used, and never leave it unattended. Once you’re finished cooking, clean your grill and trays very well so that there’s no grease buildup that can create a grease fire. If you have a charcoal grill, always douse your coals with water when you’re finished cooking.
HVAC Systems
During the summer, people tend to crank their air. As a result of extra use, AC units can get more dusty than normal, and this settled dust on top of capacitors and other electronic components can result in a fire. This may not sound common, but about 2,300 residential air conditioning units cause fires each year. Running the AC for too long can also result in overheating, which has been known to cause fires. Make sure you’re allowing your HVAC system to “rest”.
Smoking Buddies
In the summer, people tend to throw a lot more parties and barbecues than in the other months—and this means having more friends over. If you happen to have friends who smoke, always be aware of what they’re doing with their cigars and cigarettes. Smoking materials that haven’t been extinguished correctly have caused thousands of fires. This can be a result of carelessness or intoxication, but whatever the reason, keep an eye on your smoking guests!
Storage
Again, summertime sees people doing a lot more cooking out, and flammable liquids such as propane and lighter fluid can become a huge summer fire risk if they’re not properly stored. The best place for them to be kept is outside of your home, inside a building like a shed that’s not attached to your home. (Keeping flammable liquids in the garage is still dangerous!) This goes the same for pest poisons that may be getting more use in the summertime. Flammable liquids should be stored out of the home and out of the sun—and never in a hot car.
Fireworks
Fireworks are beautiful and lots of fun, but they definitely deserve some serious caution. Many fires occur as a result of incorrectly launched fireworks at parties. Fireworks must always be supervised, even smaller fireworks like sparklers and pinwheels in the hands of children. And if the fireworks aren’t working, never try to re-light them. Instead, dunk them in a bucket of water and leave them alone.
We hope that you never find yourself in need of fire restoration services, but if you do, we have you covered. Centennial Construction & Remodeling Services is a professional home restoration team serving Carmel, Noblesville, Zionsville, Westfield, and Fishers, IN. We can take care of any fire damage to your property. Contact us at (317) 848-7634 to find out more.