Causes of Fire in Your Crawl Space

8/15/2019 (Permalink)

The crawl space is usually where the water drain pipes and wiring runs, as well as where the air handler for your HVAC is found. Because of possible malfunctions with electrical wiring or mechanical equipment, it can cause a fire. We recently cleaned a job where the wiring caught fire under the house. Smoke and soot filled the HVAC systems and thus the home. This is one of the reasons why we recommend periodically checking your crawl space. In addition to fire hazards, you may have water or mold that you are unaware of. Fires in the crawl space occur on an infrequent basis, but can still have the same result: displacement of occupants. 

We always recommend to have the adequate amount of fire alarms in your home. In most cases with fires in crawlspaces, the fires will burn undetected for a while since there is not typically a smoke detector in crawlspaces. Such a fire could burn for hours or even days until the smoke rises through the HVAC system or you notice from the outside. 

No matter how much of a pain it may be, make it a point to go under your home periodically to check for fires, water, mold, or other issues. 

While it may not be top of mind, be cautious of the space under your home. Be aware of the signs of fires in your crawl space and check it regularly for fire hazards. If you experience a fire in your crawl space, call SERVPRO of Chattanooga at (423) 326-1406.