Happy first day of Fall!
Now that the weather will be cooler, you will probably be using your electricity more at home to heat up your home, cook more crockpot meals, and for festive lighting for the holidays coming up. That being said, your home could be more at risk for a potential electrical sourced fire.
Did you know that one third of residential fires stem from an electrical source?
Electrical fires are harder to identify, so that can be more destructive and dangerous. They result in almost 500 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries annually.
So how do you put an electrical fire out? Do you use water? What kind of fire extinguisher?
Should you encounter an electrical fire, make sure you follow these steps to try to avoid further damage or danger:
1. Disconnect the electricity.
Disconnect the source of the fire, if possible. You want to make sure you reduce the growth of the fire as much as possible. Only do this if you can do it safely.
2. Add Baking Soda to the fire.
This will only work for small electrical fires. Baking soda is made up of sodium bicarbonate, which is found in Class C fire extinguishers.
3. Remove the oxygen source.
A small fire may also be put out by cutting off the oxygen source. You can use clothing or a blanket if it is safe to do so.
4. Never use water to put it out.
Because water is a natural conductor of electricity, it is not a good idea to use it on electrical fires. It can cause the fires to spread more or even shock you if the source of electricity has not yet been shut off.
5. Check your fire extinguisher.
For electrical fires make sure you use a Class C fire extinguisher.
If the fire is too big and you’re not able to extinguish it you and your family members need to evacuate the home. Close the door behind you to try to contain the fire in the home. When you are at a safe distance, call 911.
You can prevent electrical fires from happening by calling a licensed electrician to come do a safety inspection of your home. The experts at Silver Electric can help you make safety changes and upgrades to help keep you home safe.