It just takes minutes for a lick of flame to turn into a massive fire, leading to a life-threatening situation. From gas cylinders to rare, yet potential fire hazards like dry paper waste, glass and interior decorations, there are several things at home that can cause or trigger a massive fire.
“Do people think of themselves being in fire accidents? Think of how they would deal with the fire or know the ways to rescue themselves and others?” asks Uday Vijayan, managing trustee and president, Beyond Carlton, Bengaluru, India’s first citizen-led initiative working on fire safety. He says that people tend to be less conscious about the threats around them as they don’t think of themselves being stuck in a fire. “Unfortunately, there is very little knowledge and awareness about fire safety,” he says.
Five common fire hazards at home
1. Fire hazards in the kitchen
One needs to be careful while working in the kitchen as fire is a basic tool in cooking. The below mentioned objects in your kitchen must be used with utmost care:
- Gas cylinder
Gas cylinders are a major fire hazard and must be kept outside the kitchen or inside a cabinet, says Dr Karan Shetty, consultant plastic surgeon, Sagar Hospital, Bengaluru.
“Gas cylinder blasts are very common due to gas pipe leakage or safety valve of the gas regulator not working properly,” he said. To prevent gas cylinder blasts, it is important to ensure that the gas knobs are turned off, the cylinder’s safety lock is secure and there’s no damaged pipes that could lead to leakage, adds Dr Shetty.
- Toaster and barbeque grills
Usage of toasters and barbeque grills are becoming more common. “Toasters and barbeque grills can be a potential fire hazard. It is important to ensure fire safety measures while using barbeque grills. Both toasters and grills must be turned off before leaving the house as they can cause a massive fire if left unattended,” says Dr R Sree Sahitya, emergency and critical care physician, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
- Cooking ingredients
“Oil burns are the most common fire accident we see among adults as well as children. One can suffer burns without fire, like boiling water, oil or milk falling on someone’s hand or body. Oil triggering fire inside the kitchen while tossing the dishes can also cause severe burns, but they are not so common,” says Dr Shetty
2. Electric wiring and heating appliances
Electric wiring, which isn’t visible as it is embedded inside the wall, is one of the most dangerous causes of fire, says Dr Sahitya. “Poor earthing or poor quality of wiring can often lead to a short circuit, causing fire accidents. We need to look out for wear and tear of the wires to prevent the fire,” she said.
Vijayan says that electric short circuit is one of the biggest causes of fire in India. “We must ensure that electric sockets are not overloaded as it causes fire. All broken electric wires need to be checked and replaced to prevent the sparks that causes fire,” he said.
Extension boxes, hair straighteners and heating appliances (such as geysers) are also potential fire hazards, says Dr Shetty. “People often forget to turn off the heating appliances and step out. Due to overheating, the devices can burst into flames and cause a massive fire,” he said.
Dr Sahitya added that LED lights, which are used by a lot of people for decorations during festivals, must be unplugged while stepping out or going to sleep as overheating of these lights can cause fire as well.
3. Ignitable substances
Dr Shetty says that candles and diyas in puja room lead to a lot of fire accidents, especially during festivals. “We often see cases of elderly women whose sarees or dupattas would have been caught on fire while doing the puja. People need to be very careful of candles, diyas, incense sticks and mosquito coils which can easily cause fire,” said Dr Shetty.
4. Beauty products
Products like nail polish, remover, deodorants and perfumes are all inflammable. Recalling a recent case, Dr Shetty said that a woman who had used nail polish remover tried lighting a cigarette, causing fire to catch on her hands. “The nail paint remover had not yet dried and was still on her fingers when she tried to light a cigarette. She had burn injuries on her hand which was treated. Similarly, other products like deodorants and perfumes can cause fire if it’s exposed to a source of ignition,” he said.
5. Fire accelerants
The fancy objects used beautify our homes are not fire-safe in most cases:
- Glassware
Glassware can cause fire when exposed to sun, says Dr Sahitya. “Not many people are aware of this. If you place a glass ornament in front of a glass window, it can intensify the heat from sun and cause a fire. Direct sunlight intensifies while passing through glass and may hit nearby flammable objects such as newspaper or curtains and create a massive fire,” she said.
- Synthetic material and interior decor
Vijayan says that whenever there’s fire, synthetic material such as curtains and linens can easily catch fire, spreading rapidly. “Similarly, most of the interiors are inflammable as well. It is important to know how safe one’s house is and to take precautionary measures such as installing fire alarms and investing in fire extinguishers,” he said.
Takeaways
- It is important to know which items at home are flammable and be cautious around them.
- Electronic devices should be unplugged to prevent overheating and triggering a fire.
- It is important to check gas knobs, cylinder’s safety lock and pipes to prevent fire hazards. One should also be careful with candles, diyas and incense sticks.
- Glassware can easily trigger a fire when exposed to extreme heat from the sun.
With inputs from Ankita Dey
