I think it's normal to worry about this kind of stuff to an extent, but it's also important to make sure the fear doesn't rule you. House fires are one of my biggest fears, so I can definitely relate to worrying about it, and I am known to check to make sure my oven and stove are off every time before I leave the house, as well as before I go to bed.
The good thing is that you can take preventative measures to minimize the risk of a house fire as much as necessary. Always ensure anything that could easily start a fire if left on such as your stove/oven, curling/flat iron, wax burner, etc. are off when they are not in use, and especially before you leave the house. Make sure any candles are blown out as well.
Also, I'm not sure if you rent or own, but if it's the latter, make sure your wiring and breaker panel are safe and up to date. I just had my Federal Pacific breaker panel replaced a few months ago, due to the fact that those were notirious for causing house fires and IIRC, were manufactured improperly (and the company was aware of this, and falsified safety testing, which ended up getting them involved in a huge lawsuit and going out of business). They were known for breakers not flipping when they were supposed to. Many homeowner's insurance companies here in the US will not cover a house with one, either. I believe there was another brand with a similar issue, but I don't recall what it was. Aluminum wiring is another thing to beware of (I actually have a family member whose childhood home caught fire due to this many years ago), as well as other types of old and outdated wiring that's been deemed unsafe.
Then of course, there is common sense stuff such as not leaving burning candles near flammable items, regularly emptying the lint trap in your dryer, changing your furnace filter, not burning trash/leaves/etc. on a windy day (a friend's neighbor burned down their home this way), and not making/keeping a bunch of highly explosive/flammable materials and substances in your home (I swear, every year around 4th of July in my area there is a news story about someone blowing up their home this way).
Is it normal to worry about house fires every day?
← View full post
I think it's normal to worry about this kind of stuff to an extent, but it's also important to make sure the fear doesn't rule you. House fires are one of my biggest fears, so I can definitely relate to worrying about it, and I am known to check to make sure my oven and stove are off every time before I leave the house, as well as before I go to bed.
The good thing is that you can take preventative measures to minimize the risk of a house fire as much as necessary. Always ensure anything that could easily start a fire if left on such as your stove/oven, curling/flat iron, wax burner, etc. are off when they are not in use, and especially before you leave the house. Make sure any candles are blown out as well.
Also, I'm not sure if you rent or own, but if it's the latter, make sure your wiring and breaker panel are safe and up to date. I just had my Federal Pacific breaker panel replaced a few months ago, due to the fact that those were notirious for causing house fires and IIRC, were manufactured improperly (and the company was aware of this, and falsified safety testing, which ended up getting them involved in a huge lawsuit and going out of business). They were known for breakers not flipping when they were supposed to. Many homeowner's insurance companies here in the US will not cover a house with one, either. I believe there was another brand with a similar issue, but I don't recall what it was. Aluminum wiring is another thing to beware of (I actually have a family member whose childhood home caught fire due to this many years ago), as well as other types of old and outdated wiring that's been deemed unsafe.
Then of course, there is common sense stuff such as not leaving burning candles near flammable items, regularly emptying the lint trap in your dryer, changing your furnace filter, not burning trash/leaves/etc. on a windy day (a friend's neighbor burned down their home this way), and not making/keeping a bunch of highly explosive/flammable materials and substances in your home (I swear, every year around 4th of July in my area there is a news story about someone blowing up their home this way).