Facts About Home Fires

4/13/2022 (Permalink)

Our goal is to restore your home or business after fire damage to its pre-fire condition.

Facts About Home Fires

Burns and fires continue to prove a significant cause of unintentional death and injury in home settings. Those who are the most at risk include the young and the elderly. Here are some fast facts about home fires.

Facts

• Nearly 4000 people die on an annual basis in the United States, with more than 2000 severely injured due to house fires.
• The heat emanating from a house fire can reach over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in barely 3.5 minutes.
• Approximately 80% of casualties from fires occur in homes.
• For rooms that haven't been set aflame, the temperature is still liable to reach beyond 300 degrees, a figure hot enough to kill people and melt plastic.
• Across the overall population, senior citizens aged 65 and up are more than two times as likely to die from a home fire.
• The leading cause of death from fire is related to careless smoking.
• Having a smoke detector greatly increases the probability of surviving a fire.

Factors That Contribute To Fatality

Fire inevitably produces fumes and gasses that can easily confuse, make sleepy, or weaken people. Furthermore, the carbon monoxide produced is not sensible, so if you are already sleeping, the smell will not wake you up, but an alarm will. Unlike the flames seen in films, the smoke emanating from house fires is often so thick that the interior of a house can dark in less than 4 minutes, regardless of whether there are lights on or not.

Even if a fire is contained in one area, smoke and soot can travel throughout a structure. Our professionals at SERVPRO of Belmont / San Carlos are highly-trained to clean up fire and smoke damage. Contact us at (650) 591-4137.