Home Fire Safety: National Pet Fire Safety Day

Did you know that your dog, cat or bird might be responsible for burning down your house? I didn’t even know they know how to light a match? I’m definitely not letting my dog smoke in bed. Seriously, this is a statistic put out by the National Fire Protection Association and they would know.

Lamps: Here how it might happen, and it makes sense: You leave a lamp on, and your cat starts playing with the lamp cord or even the lamp shade if it has those little fabric bally things on it. Next thing you know the lamp falls down on the carpet, the light breaks and causes some sparks to fly on the rug. Poof…there’s your home fire.

Candles: Worse, humans might be partly at fault if they leave an unattended candle out. A cat, dog or bird can easily knock over a candle causing a fire. For your pet safety, be sure candles are in secure holders on a hard surface. Candles are just the worst anyway, get rid of them. Sorry. They’re messy too and they ruin your paint.

Stoves: Cats climb all over stuff which is why there are no cats in my house. I mean, litter box then your bed? Anyway, a cat climbing on your stove is likely to turn a stove knob, which if electric will fry the cat, but if gas will blow up the house. Remove the knobs from the stove.

Electric heaters: Animals running around the house can knock over a space heater. Once on its face can burn things. Most electric heaters today have some form of heat sensor that shuts it down. Make sure that’s the case and toss old ones that don’t.