Fire in the attic

1/16/2019 (Permalink)

Fires can be very serious and cause damages that are hidden within the walls.  Fires in attics can burn through supports leaving structures unsafe and potentially dangerous to those that are in the structure.  

The U.S.Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), there are over 10,000 attic fires each year, resulting in an average of 35 deaths, 125 injuries, and $440 million in property damage. And even with all of the newly updated building codes and flame-retardant building materials, the number of residential attic fires isn’t declining.

On their website they list 3 major causes. These causes include:

Electrical Malfunction

The single most common cause of residential attic fires is electrical malfunction. When circuits are overloaded and the breaker fails to respond appropriately, the excess “draw” could result in a fire. The FEMA document previously mentioned states that a whopping 43% of all residential attic fires are caused by electrical malfunction.

Heating

Another common cause of attic fire is heating. Roughly 5% of residential attic fires are caused by home heating systems.

Natural

An estimated 13% of residential attic fires are caused by natural sources. So, what constitutes a “natural” source? Well, this may include lighting, fallen trees or even rain water dripping onto electrical outlets and wires.