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With the looming winter season, the threat of house fires increases in South Africa. People from poorer communities are the main victims of fire risks. Many factors contribute to the dangers of fires for these people.

For instance, the materials used to build shacks enable open fires to jump from one shack to another. The Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa estimated that open flames cause between 1,000 and 3,000 fires in informal settlements. This blog aims to dive deeply into the causes, effects, control, and prevention of fires for those at a higher risk this winter.

Causes of House Fires

Did you know that most fire-related deaths occur at home? A fire spreads too fast before you can do anything to contain it. Knowing the possible causes of a fire can help you reduce the risks in your home.

iER has noticed the following common potential causes of open fires in South African homes.

Unattended Candles

South Africans have gotten used to using candles either due to poverty or load shedding. Many fire cases are caused by leaving candles unattended, and a candle takes less than a minute to cause severe damage. You must switch off your candles and not leave them alone, especially when you have children or pets.

Burning Cigarettes

You’d be surprised to know that cigarettes are a massive fire hazard. Many people don’t wait to see if they’ve completely switched off a cigarette bud. As a result, a preventable fire can worsen and leave you with costly damage.

Electrical Appliances

It’s common for anyone to buy used appliances to save money. However, a faulty electrical appliance can be dangerous in your home. A defective appliance can be faulty anytime, creating fire-causing sparks in your home.

Overloading Power Points

An electrical fire can start when your power points are overloaded. It’s essential to reduce the load on any power points. Additionally, you must ensure that you don’t leave anything burnable near them.

Children Playing with Matches

Children playing with matches is dangerous. Many fires have been started by children playing with matches and lighters. Make sure that you pack them safely where they can’t find them.

Effects of House Fire Damage

A fire in or near your home is something you never want to experience. The impact of fire damage on your home is huge. The thing is, a fire affects more than your belongings.

In the worst circumstances, a fire can be fatal to you or your loved ones. As an emergency response service provider, iER has noted the following effects of fire damage.

Property Damage

Depending on the extent of the fire damage, your house can be damaged completely. You may need to replace everything you own. Most importantly, you deal with water damage as well.

Building materials can be damaged by the water used to put out the fire. Or, it can be caused by the pipes that burst as the fire spreads across your house. Additionally, the smoke can hang around your furniture and walls.

Emotional Stress

Stress from a fire in your home can result from many things. For instance, you can lose a loved one, lose valuables or from the traumatic experience of watching your house burn down. Emotional pain can affect your overall health.

Financial Loss

Everyone believes that a house fire will never happen to them until it does. As a result, nobody financially plans for it. However, the financial loss you can suffer is unimaginable.

You not only deal with the costs of rebuilding and buying new furniture, but you must also find another place to stay while the repairs are done. You must also pay for the fire emergency services to put out the fire. The damage to your property causes emotional stress, and you have a huge financial loss if you don’t have any insurance.

Control and Prevention of House Fires

As winter nears and load shedding worsens, you must control and prevent the possibility of a house fire. It’s necessary to keep your house warm to beat the winter blues. Before you turn the heat up, iER has developed effective ways to control and prevent the risks for you and your loved ones.

•       Ensure your heaters are plugged in with enough space to avoid a fire.
•       Keep your children and pets away from any fire source or things that can quickly burn, such as matches and lighters at home.
•       Use your gas stove carefully, and never use it to warm your home.
•       Keep your candles in a safe space and switch them off when done.
•       Use an ashtray for your cigarettes and avoid throwing them anywhere.
•       Always check every room in the house for any possible fire risk before going to sleep.

House fires cause devastating damage to your property and life. It’s crucial to understand what the common causes are and for you to know safety measures to prevent the risk. In the unfortunate event of a house fire, use the iER App to access a network of over 13 000 emergency service providers, including fire emergency service responders nationwide.