FIRES & THE NUMBER EIGHT (8)
The number eight (8) has more than one significance when it comes to house fires: (a) below you will find the eight (8) most common causes of fire in homes, and (b) a study by the Underwriters Laboratory (Twitter: @ULDialogue) has found that a particular building material burns eight (8) times faster than other comparable materials.
First, as stated in “(a)”, the National Fire Protection Association was able to identify the eight (8) most frequent reasons why homes catch on fire; they are: (i) candles; (ii) smoking; (iii) electrical malfunctioning; (iv) dryers and washers; (v) lightning; (vi) kids playing with fire; (vii) Christmas trees; and (viii) cooking. (Click here for more statistics and information.) Keep in mind that the reasons listed above should be covered under your homeowners insurance policy as long as they were sudden and accidental.
Second, as stated in “(ii)”, Underwriters Laboratory determined that a building material called oriented strand board (“OSB”) used to replace solid wood beams used as support beams and floor joists burns eight (8) times faster that the solid wood materials used in older homes – that is 800% faster. (Click here for more information and a very informational video.)
It is important to keep these two studies in mind as house fires have taken too many lives. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
