Fire Hazards and Safety

Common Causes of Fire

• Electrical appliances can catch fire if improperly handled or used, or when used while malfunctioning
• Cigarette butts can be dangerous when thrown over areas with large amounts of flammable materials
• Neglected candles or gas lamps can cause fires when left near combustible materials
• Improper use of matchsticks or lighters, especially by children, can accidentally cause fire disasters
• Chemicals can be highly flammable if not stored and handled properly, leading to fires
• Pyrotechnic-related fires can be caused by improper handling and storage of fireworks
• Malfunctioning fireworks can also cause unwanted fires
• Lightning can cause fires when it hits a flammable object on the surface of the Earth

Fire Classification

• Class A: ordinary combustible materials that leave ash, such as paper, wood, plastic, rubber, cloth, and trash
• Class B: combustible chemicals of liquid and gas, such as petroleum oil, gasoline, paint, propane, and butane
• Class C: energized electrical compounds, such as electrical appliances, motor equipment, and machines
• Class D: combustible metals, such as potassium, sodium, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium
• Class K: combustible household liquids, such as cooking oil, animal fat, and grease

Precautionary Measures and Response

• Fire risk assessment is a means to understand the situation of an area and determine the different preventive measures needed to reduce the vulnerability of an area against fire
• Installing a fire alarm system can help in being aware of a fire before it gets big and uncontrollable
• Buying a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket is important in preventing a fire outbreak from becoming uncontrollable

Fire Fuels

• Not all materials can become fuel for a fire
• Solid fuels have definite size and shape, such as wood, paper, leather, grain, cork, coal, cloth, and plastic
• Liquid fuels generate flammable and combustible vapors through vaporization, such as gasoline, kerosene, turpentine, lacquer-paint, varnish-alcohol, and olive oil
• Gas fuels are the most dangerous of all fuel types, requiring less energy for ignition, such as acetylene, hydrogen, propane, carbon monoxide, and methane

Test your knowledge on common fire hazards and learn how to prevent fires caused by neglected appliances, smoking, candles, matchsticks, and chemicals. Learn safety precautions to avoid fire disasters.