Preventing Fire Damage
DASON Fire and Water Restoration does more than just restore your home or business from water, mold, or fire damage. We also help restore your peace of mind.
Fires can cause serious property damage and while this can be expensive and stressful, ultimately, the health and safety of the inhabitants is the primary concern. For this reason, it is important to have a solid understanding of how to avoid fires and what steps to take in the event that one does occur.
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Common causes of fire damage
House fires have a number of different causes, including:
- Electrical failure
- Cooking
- Unattended candles
- Smoking
- Burdened electrical appliances
- Malfunctioning clothes dryers
- Lightning strikes
- Children playing with fire
Safety tips
Fires can not only cause a significant amount of property damage, but in many cases, are life-threatening. There are a variety of tips, however, that can help give homeowners a better chance of avoiding residential fires, including:
- Blowing out any candles before leaving the room
- Making sure candles are secured in candle holders so they don’t tip over
- Smoking outside or using ashtrays when smoking indoors
- Refraining from overloading outlets and electrical cords
- Having an electrician perform a yearly inspection of the building’s wiring
- Venting the dryer to the outside of the home
- Unplugging major electronics during thunderstorms
- Refraining from leaving Christmas lights on overnight
- Cleaning the lint screen in the dryer on a frequent basis
- Making sure that there aren’t any leaks in the lines connecting gas and propane dryers
- Ensuring that matches and lighters are kept out of the hands of children
- Putting out grease fires by smothering
- Having working smoke detectors in the building
What to do after a fire
Sometimes, despite the best efforts of homeowners, fires do occur, in which case it is a good idea to have a safety plan in place. Once the safety of all parties has been ensured, homeowners can take a number of steps to make the process of filing an insurance claim and hiring a restoration contractor as simple as possible. These steps include:
- Checking the outside of the home before entering
- Ensuring that important documents, such as birth certificates, social security cards, and insurance policies are stored in a safe place
- Notifying insurers
- Making a list and taking photographs of all damaged items
- Saving all receipts for expenses related to the fire
- Making emergency repairs, such as covering holes, removing debris, and bracing walls
- Opening windows and doors to ventilate
While most of the cleanup and restoration will need to be undertaken by professionals, taking these steps can save homeowners both time and money in the long run.
Contact an experienced Fire restoration contractor today
Fires can cause a significant amount of damage in a short time, making it extremely important for those whose homes have been damaged in a fire to retain the services of an experienced fire restoration contractor as soon as possible. If your house was recently damaged in a fire, please contact us online or call at 918-379-0390. We realize that these types of emergencies can happen at any time, day or night, and so are available to answer your property damage questions on a 24/7 basis.
