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Fires or explosions can be distressing and costly experiences. Even a small fire can become an emergency that requires the necessary response to prevent it from escalating and harming you and your loved ones. Read on to discover what you can do after a fire or explosion at home.

Common Causes of Fire Explosions

A fire can start small and spread quickly, causing devastating consequences for you and your loved ones. The financial burden of recovery can take a while if you need to replace valuable items damaged during the fire. Identifying these common causes can help you stay prepared and reduce the risk of fires around the house.

Cooking

Cooking is one of the leading causes of fires. In most cases, being distracted and forgetting to switch off the stove is the primary problem. By the time you realise that there’s a fire, it might be too late to extinguish it.

Heating Appliances

Using heating appliances such as gas heaters to warm up your house might increase the likelihood of a fire or gas explosion. They are highly combustible and might produce heat on flammable materials if left unattended. Moreover, the lack of regular maintenance can lead to faulty heating appliances and possible fires and gas explosions at home.

Smoking

Research suggests that fires caused by smoking are often more harmful and can even have fatal consequences because they happen while you’re sleeping. It can take a single stray ash to catch onto highly flammable materials such as your blankets. You should ensure you use an ashtray and extinguish cigarette buds correctly when you are done smoking.

Electrical Appliances

Faulty electrical connections and exposed wires from appliances can cause home structure fires. To prevent fire risks, you should use the FREE-to-use iER App to connect to electricians in your area who can perform routine inspections and safe electrical repairs. Other things that you can do include unplugging electrical appliances while not in use to reduce the load, using surge protectors, and installing light bulbs matching the recommended wattage to avoid excess electricity usage that could be a fire hazard.

Chemicals

Did you know that everyday household items such as rubbing alcohol, aerosol sprays, and gasoline can cause fires? Most importantly, they can lead to explosions if they make direct contact with an open flame from your heating appliances in winter. You should keep highly flammable chemicals away from electrical appliances, heat sources, and other materials that can ignite them to cause disastrous fires.

What to do Immediately After a Fire or Explosion

Contact Fire Rescue Services

Use the FREE iER App to contact fire rescue services. Depending on the seriousness of the fire and injuries sustained, fire services can provide ambulance services to rush victims to the hospital. Additionally, they can assist with preventing further property damage caused by the fire.

Gather Evidence

You must file an insurance claim for valuable items lost during the fire. Gathering evidence by taking pictures and videos can strengthen your case to show the extent of the damage. Proof of the scale of losses can help you quantify the financial costs when submitting your claim.

Avoid Entering the House

Entering your home after a fire or explosion might pose a risk unless fire rescue services give you the go-ahead. Inspecting your home for other potential hazards that can happen afterwards might take a while. In the meantime, you should contact close family and friends to provide shelter.

Consider Smoke and Fire Damage Cleaning Services

The aftermath of a fire or explosion can require specialist cleaning to restore your home to its former glory. When toxic smoke lingers on clothes and other fabrics, specific treatments are needed to remove it. Attempting to clean these things with a washing machine can worsen the spread of the toxic smoke and potentially ruin your fabrics.

Important actions, such as contacting fire rescue services and submitting your insurance claim, can help recovery following a fire or explosion. Fire and smoke damage can also impact your finances and make it costly to fix the structural damage. The FREE-to-use iER App is your safety companion, ensuring you have 24/7 access to an emergency centre that connects you to fire rescue services nationwide.