Can your pet start a fire? Not many people realize it but dogs and cats can and do start fires. That’s right! According to the National Fire Protection Association, “Pets and wild animals have a part in starting about 700 home fires per year. Roughly three-quarters of these fires were started by cooking equipment, fireplaces or chimneys, lighting, or candles.”*
This issue is so important that we want to share these six safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association:
- Pets are curious. They may bump into, turn on, or knock over cooking equipment. Keep pets away from stoves and countertops.
- Keep pets away from candles, lamps, and space heaters.
- Always use a metal or heat-tempered glass screen on a fireplace and keep it in place.
- Keep pets away from a chimney’s outside vents. Have a “pet-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from the fireplace. Glass doors and screens can stay dangerously hot for several hours after the fire goes out.
- Consider battery-operated, flameless candles. They can look and smell like real candles.
- Some pets are chewers. Watch pets to make sure they don’t chew through electrical cords. Have any problems checked by a professional.
Please safeguard your home, family and pets by following these tips.
Do you have a pet fire safety tip?
Please share it with us in the comments section.
*Pet Safety Tips. (2016) https://www.nfpa.org/public-education/resources/safety-tip-sheets Accessed on June 22, 2016.