Fire Safety in the Fall | SERVPRO® of North Fort Worth

9/22/2021 (Permalink)

Be mindful about fall fire safety. Always remember that SERVPRO of North Fort Worth is the trusted leader in the restoration industry.

Fall in Fort Worth isn’t exactly the same as in other areas of the country—our average high temperature in mid-September is still in the high 80s, so nobody is breaking out the space heater just yet. But fall does offer a reprieve from the oppressive heat of summer, and we do get the excitement of football and pumpkin-spice everything. It’s cool enough now that you might even hit the campground for a weekend getaway.

Whatever your activities are this fall, make sure you keep fire safety in mind. Home fires and wildfires are always a threat, and autumn is no different.

Campfire Safety

It’s of utmost priority that you know how to safely and properly build your campfire, just as it’s of utmost priority that you know how to put it out.

Stick to the tried-and-trusted method of building your fire with a lighter or matches—don’t ever use an accelerant like kerosene or lighter fluid. Start with simple kindling, then add small sticks and larger wood pieces. It’s slower, but it’s much safer.

Remember that no fire should be left alone, and before you break away from camp your fire should be entirely snuffed. Don’t leave any hot ash or live embers. Use buckets of water to repeatedly cover the fire, until all is cool to the touch.

Leaf Burning

Open burning is legal in unincorporated areas of Tarrant County, provided you’ve been granted permission by the fire marshal.

But if you burn, make sure you do it safely—use a burn barrel if you have one, and keep all fires 50 feet away from your residence and 300 feet from structures on adjacent property. Don’t burn under low tree branches, and don’t burn at night.

Burning anything besides organic yard waste or household trash is prohibited, as construction materials or oils can produce fire and health hazards.

Halloween

Be careful as you decorate! Fall decor, especially creepy spider webs and hanging items, can present a fire hazard, particularly if you go big on the candles.

Keep the vanilla pumpkin pillars at least three feet away from anything that could ignite. And if you use any string lights for yard decor, plug them directly into outlets (as opposed to extension cords) and unplug them when they’re not in use.

If a fire hazard should turn from potential to reality in your home, remember the trusted leader in the recovery industry and contact SERVPRO to get your property fully restored right down to the smell of smoke.