Our fire damage adjusters have seen many heartbreaking examples of the devastation caused by a home fire. Entire families have lost their house, their belongings and so many irreplaceable items that hold a sentimental value.
We are always ready to use our experience and skills to help you get the largest possible compensation from your insurance company. We will assist you in preparing your insurance claim and negotiate with the insurance adjusters. But we also want to know that every Floridian is aware of the dangers in their homes and do their best to avoid them.
For this reason, we compiled a list of the most frequent home fire causes that we encountered while helping clients:
1. Cooking
Fires caused while cooking are not only the number one on the list of home fire causes, but also the second leading cause of death in home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Fire damage adjusters know just how easily a fire can start in the kitchen due to:
- Grease spillage
- Unattended cooking
- Keeping items that can catch fire close to the open flame (oven mittens, towels, wooden cooking utensils).
In our experience, many homeowners made the fire worse by attempting to put it out with water or by removing a pot that caught fire from the cooking stove. Our advice: don’t be a hero; your life is worth more than anything else. In the worst case scenario (a large fire), our fire damage adjusters will help you get paid by the insurance company on time and at a fair value of your losses.
2. Heating
As the weather cools down, families start turning up the heating to enjoy a pleasant temperature at home. However, older or malfunctioning heating units may catch fire, which can spread to the rest of the house before you are aware of it.
Heating fires are among the most dangerous home fire causes because may HVAC units are located in the basement. Thus, when you start smelling burning or smoke, the fire has already reached the ground floor and is quickly making its way upstairs.
Any fire damage adjusters would give you the same advice: always call a licensed contractor to inspect your heating units before you start them up at the beginning of the cold season.
3. Electric Wiring
Old and faulty wiring can overheat when you plug in large appliances (washing machine, air conditioning unit, etc.). As our homes become smarter and we fill them with interconnected devices, the average electricity usage increases across the US. This means that you should also consider checking and upgrading the wiring in your home.
In our experience as fire damage adjusters, many electrical fires burn down the entire house because they start when the owners are away from home and left various devices plugged in.
We encourage you to be vigilant and protect your house from the most common home fire causes. However, if disaster strikes, our fire damage adjusters are always ready to help you. Call us to obtain a free estimate and get your insurance claim prepared and filled by professionals!