Most Common Causes of Fires in Atlanta

3/25/2020 (Permalink)

Our technicians have years of experience in the fire and water restoration industry and are IICRC certified!

Per the latest Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) statistics, household fires caused an estimated 2,000 deaths and 7,500 injuries in 2018. Out of the total estimated total of 379,600 fires, over 50% were caused by cooking accidents. The remaining 50% household fire accidents are spread out over heating devices, accidental, electrical malfunction and open flame, just to name a few. No matter what the cause, once the flames have been put out, call SERVPRO of South Atlanta. We will help you file your fire claim, should you choose to involve your insurance provider, and manage your claim until the job is complete and the fire damage is “Like it never even happened.”

There are a few steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a house fire.  

Smoke Alarms

• Make sure you have properly working smoke detectors in your home. Replace faulty smoke detectors immediately, and only purchase reputable and reliable devices. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) advises that homeowner’s choose smoke detectors that include CO2 detection capabilities, and models that are interconnected so that if one device sounds all will sound.
• It is recommended that you place smoke detectors on every level of your home making sure they are outside of bedrooms, at the top or bottom of stairways and close to, but not inside the kitchen. By having smoke detectors in these recommended areas you can ensure occupants of the home will be notified in the event of a fire. 
• Monthly testing of these smoke alarms is imperative and changing the batteries once a year, at a minimum is recommended. You can use the time change in the fall, as a reminder to change those batteries! There is an exception to this, however, if you have a newer model smoke detector with a lithium battery it may not need to be changed every year, always check the owners manual to see the recommended guidelines for your specific model. Dead batteries account for about a quarter of all smoke detector failures.

Plan your Families Escape

• If your family does not have an escape route planned, put one together ASAP!  Make sure to go over a few practice runs with every member of your family, especially the little ones.  Don’t forget to make sure everyone knows to stay low to the floor when escaping!

• Check all your windows to make sure they are not painted or nailed shut, especially if your home is older!

• Consider purchasing escape ladders if you have a home with more than one floor.  

What to do while Escaping

• If you are trying to escape a room with a closed door, make sure to check the temperature of the door with the BACK of your hand.  If you were to burn your fingers on a door it would make the rest of the escape harder to do with burnt fingers!

• If the door is hot

• Do not open the door!  Escape through a window if possible.  If you cannot get out of the window, hang a light colored or white sheet or article of clothing out the window so first responders know you are there!

• If the door is cool

• Slowly open the door, but check to make sure there is not fire or heavy smoke that you cannot get through.  If your path is blocked, close the door and use a window to escape.

• If possible, close the doors behind you

• Limiting air movement can help slow the spread of the fire, buying you and your family precious time to escape the fire safely.

• Be ready to crawl!  Heat and smoke rise as do poisonous gasses.  
• If you or your clothes catch fire, remember, stop, drop & roll.

After the Fire

• Once you are out, do not go back in and call 9-1-1, if you haven’t already.

• Call your trusted and locally owned fire restoration company, SERVPRO of South Atlanta. We are here to help 24-hours a day seven days a week and have years of experience working with house fire victims and first responders mitigating and restoring both residential and commercial properties.

*For more information on Georgia home fire statistics check out the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA).