Fire Damage Emergency Tips

What you can do until help arrives

Here are a few tips to prevent a house fire:

From a campfire in your backyard to a grill on your deck to flames in your fireplace, never leave a fire unattended.
Unplug appliances such as hair straighteners immediately after use. Items such as the hair straightener pose a high risk when plugged in and proximity to flammable materials.
Do not smoke indoors.
Extinguish any candle flames when leaving your home or prior to falling asleep. Additionally, you should avoid lighting too many candles at once. If you have pets, it’s safer to never light candles.
Never store a grill with a propane tank inside your home. This can easily result in a fatal explosion.
Do not microwave aluminum foil. Remove the foil before reheating your food.
Disabling your smoke detector is extremely dangerous, life-threatening, and illegal. To prevent fires, make sure the batteries in your detector work. If you believe your detector isn’t working properly, call a professional for help immediately.

Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery and carpets.
Keep hands clean so as not to further soil upholstery, walls and woodwork.
Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet traffic areas.
If electricity is off, empty freezer and refrigerator and prop doors open.
Clean and protect chrome with light coating of petroleum jelly or oil.
Wash houseplants on both sides of leaves.
Change HVAC filter.
Tape double layers of cheesecloth over air registers.

Don't attempt to wash any walls or painted surfaces or shampoo carpet or upholstery without contacting us.
Don't attempt to clean any electrical appliances that may have been close to fire, heat or water without consulting an authorized repair service.
Don't use any canned or packaged food or beverages that may have been stored near the fire, heat or water.
Don't turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet. The wiring may be damaged.
Don't send garments to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set smoke odor.