My Fire, Your Fence
Often when we think of home fires, we think of damage to the
house, but home fires frequently occur in detached structures and even in outdoor
spaces with no buildings in the immediate area. Fires can start in junk heaps,
leaf piles, wood stacks, trash cans and wooded areas. If you leave tires, oil
pans, paints or other flammable items outdoors, you could be creating a fire
hazard. Even mulch spread around your home or fence can be a ready fuel source.
Fires can start from wafting ash or embers from a fireplace
or fire pit, a cigarette butt, a lightning strike, or even
spontaneous combustion. In fact, heaped mulch and grasses, such as straw and
hay, build considerable internal heat, as do bagged oiled rags. If you are
composting, holding mulch or grass for later use, or saving cloths soaked with
gasoline or oils, keep other flammable items far from these to reduce the
likelihood of combustion.
If you have planned well enough to keep your own house and
structures safe from such outdoor fires, the next step is to consider the
possibility of a fire from your property spreading to your neighbors’. Their
fences, sheds, garages, gazebos, cars, patio furniture or homes could be endangered
by your flammable items, even if none of your property is harmed.
The liability insurance portion of your homeowners insurance
policy would likely step in to provide coverage, but it is best to discuss that
protection with your Trusted Choice® Independent
Insurance Agent to make sure a serious incident that displaces a family,
critically harms someone or destroys cars and buildings would be covered. The
best protection, of course, is good care of your outdoor spaces. Proper
containment and disposal of flammables and appropriate ventilation or rotation
of flammable cloths, chemicals and vegetation can minimize outdoor fire
hazards.
Take a walk around your
property. Do you have frayed wiring to outdoor lights in your gardens or wooded
areas? Do you have piles of leaves the wind has carried up against your rear
fence or shed? How about bagged oily rags sitting in your shed with full fuel
containers? Where is your ash and ember can, and where is your grill situated?
Practice excellent outdoor fire prevention to protect property, the environment
and lives.
Written By: Jennifer Burnett
Original Source: MAIA The Mix
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