Attic Fire: 3 Tips to Protect Your Attic From Fire Damage

6/9/2021 (Permalink)

Call the professionals at SERVPRO after an attic fire is put out!

An attic fire can happen to any homeowner!

The U.S. Fire Administration estimates 10,000 residential building attic fires are reported to U.S. fire departments each year. However, even though this number seems low, an attic fire will still leave any property owner with severe destruction. 

Attics are an easy place for fires to spread due to excess insulation that is commonly stored in attic space. During an attic fire, insulation will act as kindling, causing the fire to quickly spread throughout the attic space.

The professionals at SERVPRO have restored many homes after a quick-burning attic fire. Whenever they go to a fire damage job scene, they have to note what the cause of the fire damage loss was. In this blog post, we will go over three of the top causes of attic fires and tips to protect an attic from a fire.

The best way to protect a home from fire damage

The number one best way to protect against severe attic fire damage is to have one of the two types of smoke alarms in your home (ideally in each room). Smoke alarms are the best early warning system for detecting smoke from a fire before it becomes too intense to escape safely.

If you don't already have them installed, we recommend taking steps today to install working alarms on every floor of your home. If you do have them installed, you should test to see if they are still working and change the batteries if necessary.

What is a home attic?

An attic is an unfinished space in a house, often used for storage or as living quarters. Attics are usually located under the roof and have sloped ceilings with little to no natural light coming through them.

Three causes of attic fires with prevention tips

1) Electrical wiring: Wiring in attics often lacks sufficient insulation. Wiring with poor insulation is more likely to fail or short-circuit in high temperatures. When an electrical wire short circuits, it will produce sparks, igniting the insulation or any other nearby combustible materials.

Attic fire prevention tip: Ensure your attic wiring is inspected by a licensed professional annually for wear and tear. It is best to get any needed repairs taken care of ASAP to prevent unwanted electrical fires in the attic.

2) HVAC systems: HVAC systems can cause attic fire damage when debris and dust begin to build up in the HVAC ducts. Any debris can be ignited by the furnace or air conditioner fan, then cause a fire in the attic.

Attic fire prevention tip: Professionally clean out your HVAC ducts regularly to ensure there isn't any build-up of combustible materials.

3) Lightning strike: A lightning strike can cause an attic fire when the roof of a home is directly struck by lightning. A lightning strike can also damage any wiring in the attic.

Attic fire prevention tip: Verify your roof has an adequate grounding system for protection against lightning strikes and other power surges that could cause an attic fire. 

Final thoughts

We hope you enjoyed learning about the top three causes of attic fires and tips to protect against them. If you are a homeowner, it is essential to ensure that the attic space is regularly cleaned out and free from any potentially flammable materials such as excess insulation, clothing, or boxes that could catch fire.

If you are in a situation and your attic is on fire, you need to immediately call 911 before calling the professionals at SERVPRO of South Cobb. In any fire damage situation, your safety should be the priority. You can trust the SERVPRO professionals when it comes to restoring your property to its original state.

Our team of IICRC certified professionals are on call 24-hours a day for emergency water/fire/mold damage restoration services for residential and commercial properties! Contact us today for more information about our disaster response services near you!