A house can easily catch fire from things like the misuse of appliances and heating equipment. Even just with the UK’s hot summer months, a drier climate and higher temperatures can lead to conditions that are ideal for fires to break out.
However, to take measures to avoid a fire in the home and ensure the safety of your rental property or family home, below are some of the most common causes of accidental house fires you can keep in mind when creating an effective fire mitigation strategy.
1. Electrical Equipment
An electrical appliance, like a TV or toaster, can start a fire sooner than you think. All it takes is for a cord to be split or frayed, or for the power socket to be overloaded with multiple appliances. Cheap extension cords and units can also cause fires when overused.
Lampshades and light fittings are also a leading cause of fires due to the build-up of heat and the close proximity of globes to potentially flammable lamp shades. Old lamps should always be checked for their condition and to ensure all cabling is secure.
Tall standing lamps are also dangerous sometimes as they could be knocked over easily and may have long cables that might lead to people tripping over them and pulling the socket partially loose.
2. Candles
It’s best that all candles are kept on non-flammable surfaces or within their own candle holder glasses. But even if you ensure this happens, it does not eliminate the chance of nearby items falling into the flame. Therefore, it’s best that candles are always put out when you leave the room, and especially when you leave the property.
If you are housing several young tenants such as university students, make sure that you educate them about this topic before they move in as many may simply be unaware of this issue.
3. Cooking Related Fires
Deep fat fryers and pans overheating can cause a fire very easily if the person cooking gets distracted and leaves cooking unattended. You can’t always make sure your tenants or family members stay around during food cooking, but you can ensure that no flammable items are kept near to your stove and cooker.
As a landlord, installing functional shelves or hangers where people can keep their kitchen cloths, or even clothes pegs for the door can stop people from leaving flammable items near to open flames or hot appliances.
4. Heating
Portable heaters, especially old electric or gas ones, can easily cause a nearby item to catch fire if it’s faulty or overheats. Nearby cloth furniture, curtains, laundry, and clothes should be kept at least a meter away from these heaters, or else you should avoid using them in the first place.
5. Smoking
With more and more people spending time indoors due to social distancing measures and government lockdowns, it’s only natural that some people will smoke indoors. Do your best to educate people about the dangers of this as well as ways to prevent half-lit cigarettes from setting fire to household items.
6. Barbeques
We all like to barbeque when the weather permits. However, it’s also due to the scarcity of sun in the UK that causes people to be less aware of the dangers of making an outdoor meal on a disposable barbecue or cooking pit.
Make sure you and your tenants keep BBQs regularly maintained and cleaned with soapy water and clean any removable parts to reduce grease build-up.
Check Your Property For Accidental Fire Hazards
Sometimes you can’t spot all the potential risks and dangers that exist in your property. Luckily, it’s our job to conduct comprehensive checks that will identify any and all fire safety issues. If you’re looking for fire risk assessment companies in Nottingham or throughout the midlands, get in touch with us at UK-Fire Risk Assessments!