Attic Fire Hazards

If your home attic houses a water heater or furnace be sure you have adequate venting.

Attic fire hazards.

Fire departments each year and cause an estimated 30 civilian deaths 125 civilian injuries and 477 million in property loss. The fema document previously mentioned states that a whopping 43 of all residential attic fires are caused by electrical malfunction. The us fire administration estimates 10 000 residential building attic fires are reported to u s. The single most common cause of residential attic fires is electrical malfunction.

A towel or curtains hanging too close to an unattended stove can ignite. Check for openings around the attic door attic vents roof joists rafters and attic floor joists. Cooking fires cause 23 percent of home fires and nine percent of deaths. Frayed or torn wiring could cause an attic fire.

A clothes dryer should not vent inside your home or attic. When circuits are overloaded and the breaker fails to respond appropriately the excess draw could result in a fire. The exhaust contains too much humid air and can cause problems with mold and mildew. Even so your home s heating ventilation and cooling hvac unit might cause an attic fire.

Plastic fan parts may pose a fire hazard. Make sure the vents are cleaned out and it is working as it should. You cannot always protect your house or attic from all natural sources. Reduce fire hazards by installing the dryer correctly.

Another possible cause of an attic fire is out of your control. Lack of ventilation may create ideal conditions for an attic fire. The grease in an unattended frying pan catches on fire and ignites nearby combustibles which in turn ignite curtains cabinets or anything else in the vicinity. Mice rats bats or a squirrel in an attic can be a very dangerous hazard since these critters often harbor diseases and can damage the structure or attic wiring causing serious fire hazards.

These attic fires are very challenging for the fire service to mitigate and have led to line of duty deaths and injuries. According to the us fire administration over 10 000 attic fires a year are reported to us fire departments. Flammable or hazardous items should not be stored in the attic with extreme temperatures these items can cause a fire within your home says professional organizer susan santoro founder of organizing website organized31 who notes that chemicals can also leak when they re not stored in climate controlled spaces. The majority of these fires are caused by electrical malfunction created by faulty wires and ignition sources and natural causes such as lightning which we reported last summer.