What Happens In a Home Fire?

12/28/2019 (Permalink)

It’s easy to think that a fire would never happen in your home, but it can truly happen to anyone.

In a blink of an eye a small fire can transform into a full blown house fire. In fact, a small flame has the propensity to become a major fire in as little as 30 seconds. We see it fictionally in countless movies and television shows and we watch the real stories about it on the news. But how does it all happen? What takes place when that small flame emerges as a terrifying fire wreaking havoc on your home?

For starters, it is important to discuss the difference between home fires today versus home fires a few decades ago. In older times, experts estimated that you had anywhere from 14 to 17 minutes to escape in the event of a house fire. Today, however, the level of flammability in the household limits escape time down to 2 to 3 minutes. That means that home occupants have the get out extremely fast before the entire house goes up in flames.

Let’s take an example scenario into account. Fires most often begin in the kitchen. A stovetop meal starts to boil over and before anyone knows it, oil is igniting and spreading flames throughout the kitchen. Then, cooking utensils catch fire, which then catch onto the dish towel, and fire and smoke are looming. More and more flammable items begin to burn and the flames spread rapidly to the wooden cabinets to the curtains, and on and on.

While this scenario may be horrifying to think about, the reality is that this happens all of the time throughout the United States. It’s easy to think that something like this would never happen in your home, but it can truly happen to anyone. Being extremely careful in the kitchen and when dealing with any fire, even something as simple as lighting candles, is imperative to keeping you and your loved ones safe. Have you experienced any type of fire damage? Our fire damage restoration team is here to help. Contact SERVPRO of North Palm Beach County today to learn more!