Surprising Causes of Home Fires

The National Fire Protection Association estimates over 47,000 home fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition.Fear not, celebrity-babble fans: With the 2017 Academy Awards less than one week away, Seacrest is still scheduled to pull himself together and fulfill his "Live From the Red Carpet" hosting duties on Sunday.Rainfall as a fire starter is certainly unexpected, so we looked into some other unusual things that can go up in flames if you're not careful.The National Fire Protection Association estimates more than 47,000 home fires reported to fire departments involve some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a contributing factor.  It may come as a surprise that rainfall can also be a contributing factor to some fires.  Keep reading to learn surprising causes of home fires, and click this link to read the full article.

Dishwashers

You may already know that overheating dryers or ovens can cause fires. But dishwashers have water, and water puts out fires, right? Wrong! Most dishwasher fires are caused by liquids coming into contact with the machine's wires.And dishwashers can do some serious damage. Data obtained from 2010 to 2012 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated the average residential property loss due to a dishwasher fire was $11.2 million."Any device that powers a motor, heating element, or sometimes both in the same appliance always has a higher propensity for fire—and dishwashers are a common example," says Joe Torrillo, a firefighter who served in the New York City Fire Department for 25 years. "They should never be turned on when going to sleep or leaving the home."

Jars and other glass objects

Survival enthusiasts say one of the best ways to start a fire is to use a piece of glass to refract sunlight onto dry wood. If you're not careful, that same scientific process can happen on your own kitchen table.In 2015 a fire broke out in a southwest London home because of sun rays reflecting through an empty Nutella jar, the Associated Press reported. A representative from the fire brigade's investigative unit acknowledged how bizarre the cause of fire seemed, but confirmed that the glass jar of hazelnut spread was to blame. Yikes!While the chances of this happening in your home are slim, it's important to remember to never store flammable liquids like gasoline, cleaning fluids, paint thinners, and even cooking oils in glass jars you plan on leaving out in the sunlight. Instead, Torrillo recommends using metal cans for commercial-use flammable liquids; plastic containers also suffice for cooking oils.