One of the scariest incidents a homeowner can face, if not the scariest, is a house fire. House fires are disasters that happen unexpectedly due to different reasons and on which we have little or no power. Different types of house fires; kitchen fires, heater fires, smoking-related fires, and electrical fires. All these types of house fires are equally dangerous and should be prevented by all means. However, what should you do when it is too late, and a fire has started in your home? As your trusted electrical service company, We would like to give you some advice on what to do if a fire starts in your home. Since we are an electrical service provider, we will focus on electrical fires. So let’s get started. Here are four things you can do to put out an electrical fire in your home.
Unplug the Appliance on Fire.
When you notice that an appliance is on fire, the first thing to do is to unplug the appliance immediately. Before unplugging it, make sure that you can get to it safely. Check that the fire has not affected the wires and that you are not risking electrocution. Unplugging the appliance is the best way to ensure that the fire doesn’t go beyond the appliance.
You should also be extremely careful if many appliances are plugged into one external cord. Overloading is one of the main causes of electrical fires. When many appliances are plugged into one extension, they cause extensive heat, which in turn causes electrical fires. Therefore, if one of the appliances connected to the extension is on fire, unplug the whole extension at once to prevent other appliances from catching fire.
Shut down the Electricity.
Sometimes, electrical fires start in places where there is no way to unplug an appliance to shut it down. A good example is a fire that starts in the walls of your home or an appliance that catches fire but is completely inaccessible. When this happens, the best thing to do is shut down your home’s electricity. Do this by safely reaching your electrical panel or switches and turning them off. This way, you will kill the heat source of the fire and considerably reduce its acceleration. This will also ease the quenching of the fire.
However, as with unplugging burning appliances, if you do not know where the electrical panel or switches are or cannot access it safely, do not attempt to shut it down. Get out of the building on fire and let professionals put out the fire.
Use Baking Powder.
Baking powder is a fire quencher that works only on little fires. When an appliance catches fire, and its cord is inaccessible, the one way you can put out an electrical fire is by pouring baking powder over the whole burning area. Baking powder is an effective fire extinguisher because it releases carbon dioxide when poured into the fire. The carbon dioxide it releases takes out the oxygen from the fire. And since there is no fire without oxygen, the fire goes out.
Why do we use baking soda only on a little fire? The reason is that to put out a big electrical fire, you will need a huge quantity of baking soda and equipment to propel it. If you try to pour a small quantity of baking soda on a huge fire, it will have no effect at all. Therefore, baking soda works best if you are trying to put out a fire on appliances like toasters, mixers, irons, and other types of similar little home appliances.
Use an Extinguisher.
Fire extinguishers are very important safety equipment that everyone should have in their homes. There are different types of extinguishers depending on the types of fire they quench. For residential homes, it is required to have a fire extinguisher with the label “ABCD.”. These are often powder extinguishers able to quench any type of fire. If you can’t find one, you can also opt for a carbon dioxide extinguisher. They are also efficient in putting out electrical fires.
How To Use An Extinguisher.
When a fire starts, there is always this feeling of panic that makes us forget all safety measures. This overwhelming feeling can also make us forget how to use an extinguisher properly. That is why, to make things easy for you in case of an emergency, we have a little tip that would help you remember how to use a fire extinguisher. Simply remember the word PASS. These four letters are the steps you need to take to use an extinguisher.
P – Pull the safety pin. It is the little silver handle on your extinguishers.
A – Aim the Hose and Nozzle at the fire
S – Squeeze the extinguisher’s handle slowly to let out its content
S – Sweep it from left to right on every part of the area on fire.
Using the extinguisher following these steps will ensure you quench the fire quickly and safely. If you are not confident in your ability to use the extinguisher properly, do not waste time putting yourself in danger. Get out of your home and wait for firefighters to put out the electrical fire.
Use A Fire Blanket.
If your home lacks an extinguisher and instead has a fire blanket, use it to smother the fire. Fire blankets like baking soda are perfect for quenching small fires. When a small fire starts, take the blanket and cover the area on fire. The blanket will cut the access of fire to oxygen and kill the fire. If you neither have an extinguisher nor a fire blanket, any thick blanket will help. Use it the same way you would use a fire blanket. Just be sure that you use a really thick blanket.
Now you know the different ways of extinguishing an electrical fire. However, always remember, if you see that the fire is too strong and you can’t use any method listed above safely, do not try anything. Get out of the house, call emergency service and wait for them to put out the electrical fire.
Electrician Service Team Helps You Prevent House Fires.
People often think that house fires always happen unexpectedly. That is not always true. More than half of the time before a house fire starts, there are signs that warn you of a possible fire accident. These are often subtle signs that come unnoticed. Fortunately, there is a way to detect all dangers threatening to start a house fire – Electrician Service Team’s Safety Inspections and Troubleshooting service. Our safety inspection and troubleshooting services are provided by trained and licensed electricians. Their job is to detect any problem with your electrical system and to prevent any accident from occurring. If they detect an issue during their service, they will find an appropriate and effective solution.
You can ensure the safety of your home and family today by hiring our experts for safety inspection and troubleshooting services. To have more information about our service or schedule an appointment, call us at (800)-568-8664 or leave us a message on our site.
