Being a homeowner comes with pitfalls and stumbling blocks, most of which you can avoid or plan for. But an accident during one of the most integral parts of your day can lead to one of the most dangerous consequences: a house fire.
In the United States, roughly half of all house fires are started in the heart of the home: the kitchen. While there are seemingly more obvious causes, such as holiday decorations catching fire from a nearby scented candle, cooking remains the leading cause of house fires.
With the holidays around the corner, family get-togethers can be inevitable. And whether you’re hosting or attending, chances are you’ll spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, preparing, eating, and celebrating. Even with so many eyes, attention can be diverted, leaving the stove alone, leading to problems such as oil spills, burning food, and catching fire.
Unamended cooking food is the leading cause of fires in kitchen fires. While it may seem like a no-brainer, remaining in the kitchen, regularly stirring or checking on the food, is the easiest way to prevent a fire from even starting. Set timers at regular intervals, with the volume loud enough to be heard over your nieces and nephews playing video games.
Despite your best intentions, loud timers, and someone grabbing a fire extinguisher, part of the holiday meal caught fire. While there are certainly smaller fires you can put out yourself, slightly larger fires, even contained in one room, can cause more serious concern. Appliances that may seem to function still could have been damaged in ways you can’t see, making them a future risk of causing another kitchen fire from faulty wiring or a damaged cooling system. And with the likelihood of the fire starting from one of the appliances, the structural integrity of the surrounding walls and ceiling is questioned.
The smell of smoke can be annoying, but it’ll fade in a couple of days, right? But what you may not be considering is damage caused not by the fire itself but by the smoke. While the effects of fire are obvious, smoke damage can be dangerous to your health. Smoke particles are toxic, and as they permeate your clothing, furniture, walls, and insulation, using a professional service to neutralize the odor and clean up the remaining fire and smoke damage provides peace of mind.
While there are certainly many YouTube videos and Google articles about how to deal with the aftermath of a kitchen fire by yourself, using professional resources near you is always the safest bet when dealing with fire and smoke damage cleanup. Five Valley’s Restoration in Missoula, Montana, is available 24/7 to help you restore your home to its original state. From their full reconstruction services to efficiency in helping process your claim, you can rest assured that they’ll be there should you ever need them.
