This year in the United States, more than 3,800 people will die a fire-related death. Even though schools, universities and communities teach families about the dangers of fire and how to prevent house fires, they still happen every day. And there are a few points of contention that will clear the smoke on what happens during a house fire.
Many erroneously believe flames cause the most damage, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Smoke, rather, contributes to the most structure fire related death. Not only does thick smoke cause almost pure darkness making it extremely difficult for occupants to find exits, but the chemicals in the billowing smoke directly cause asphyxiation.
Also, trying to take on a blaze is how many people parish. Even a small starter flame can transform into a major fire in only 30 seconds. For every minute that the fire goes untouched, it doubles in size. In some instances, it took only 3 minutes for a fire to ignite everything at once causing a flashover. Thanks to flammable furniture, carpets and curtains a home can go up in flames much quicker than 5 minutes, not leaving much time for occupants to do anything except leave as fast as possible.
Calling emergency services as quickly as possible at the first hint of fire or smoke is imperative to saving your life and those of others. Implementing an escape plan or protection against a fire is absolutely imperative. Along with proper prevention, working fire alarms and an up to date escape plan, if a house fire does happen, everyone can evacuate the home quickly and safely.