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Enjoying Fire Outdoors Safely | SERVPRO of East Lansing/Haslett
9/18/2023 (Permalink)
Bonfire season is upon us! SERVPRO of East Lansing/Haslett has your back with these helpful fire safety tips.
Things are finally starting to cool down, and the end of a hot and humid summer seems very near. Fall is a wonderful season since we are able to get outside more and watch our town become more colorful. Pumpkins are everywhere, and the chill of winter hasn’t set in yet.
Colder evenings also make for the perfect time to gather with the family around a fire and spend some quality time eating too many sweets and sharing not enough stories. While you enjoy an evening around the fire pit, make sure you practice fire safety to keep your home protected.
A small fire can turn into a big disaster quickly, but with SERVPRO® right around the corner, we want to not only help you prevent damage to your property, but we also want you to know we can restore them fast when they happen.
When you plan on getting a fire going, keep in mind a few things you should do to stay safe:
Do find a place that will be safe to have an open flame. Choose a location that is open and free of any structures, loose limbs or overhangs.
Do keep a good bit of water nearby. A bucket full or, if you can quickly turn it on, your hose at hands’ reach can stop a flame that gets out of control fast. You might also consider having dirt or sand nearby to shovel on the embers or potentially smother out anything headed in the wrong direction.
Do keep in mind what the weather is doing. Check the forecast the day of your bonfire, and if it is windy out consider choosing another day. Even if you are planning on using a fire pit that has a screen covering, having an open flame on a windy isn’t safe. Check on burn bans for your area too
Once everything is going, avoid a few of these things in order to keep things safe:
Don’t use anything other than treated and approved wood to fuel your fire. Lighter fluid and gas can be very dangerous on an open flame, and tossing in trash can cause unpredictably high or hot flames.
Don’t allow the kids to run, throw balls or even walk near the flames. Keep chairs a safe distance from the fire and use long sticks to roast marshmallows.
Don’t make a bigger fire than you can handle. It is tempting to build the fire up big so you can sit back and just enjoy without having to feed the flames, but a single wandering flame can lead to a scorched backyard.
Don’t leave the fire unattended, including at the end of the night. Once you are done enjoying the fire, pour water over any remaining embers and stay until nothing is glowing red hot.
The vast majority of wildfires are started due to manmade errors. If you are going to have a fire outside, make sure you are doing everything you can to keep it safe. Make your fire small, use the right materials, and never walk away from hot embers.
If you experience a fire, large or small, call SERVPRO right away. We can restore your property quickly so that you can get back to enjoying the fall weather.
Fire can cause a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Contact us day or night for immediate assistance.