According to the National Institute for Fire and Safety Training, the average house fire burns at about 1,100°F. That’s the same in the middle of a Utah winter, or the middle of summer.
A fire of that magnitude hot enough to quickly burn up most of your precious belongings, but you might be surprised with the smoke settles and you’re allowed to look at what’s left that some metal and other hard objects survived.
Here are some items to be on the lookout for if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to search through the rubble of a fire.
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Jewelry
Gold melts around 2,000°F, platinum at 3,200°F, and diamonds around 6,000°F, so there is a very good chance those items along with other jewelry survived the inferno. Many gemstones like rubies and sapphires have similarly high melting points. This means if you had jewelry in the home, try to search the areas where you stored it. Look carefully!
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Filing Cabinets
Steel filing cabinets are built to withstand a fire. This obviously depends on the quality of the filing cabinet itself, but many will survive the fire – and offer your vital documents a better chance of survival as well over say a wooden desk drawer. However, it is always wise to consider having a firebox for those important documents just to be safe.
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Tools
If Tim the Tool Man Taylor had been unfortunate enough to have a house fire during the run of popular TV show Home Improvement, you better believe you would have heard his characteristic happy grunt when he discovered his tools survived. Many tools, especially those made of steel or other hardened metals, can withstand fires of 2,500°F and above.
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Appliances
Okay, the structure of the appliance itself may survive a serious house fire, but there is a good chance heating and cooling elements, cords, and other key operational components will not. In a less severe fire, appliances are often cleaned up and restored to be perfectly functional again.
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The Grill
Just like many of the items on our list so far, grills are made out of steel or iron. That means these suckers last for years and years, and can withstand most house fires. Plus, just like filing cabinets are usually stored away from common areas where fires start like the kitchen, the grill is stored outside – further from the likely fire source.
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Cookware & Silverware
Unless you have your grandmother’s real silver dinnerware, this may seem less important than some of the other items to survive. But, since they’re metal, there is a good chance your silverware would survive a fire. On the same note, some of your metal cookware is also likely to survive. However, this is becoming less and less common as rubber and plastic handles and lids are being added to cookware sets.
If you do for some reason find yourself looking through what’s left after a house fire in Beaver, take heart that Ally1 Disaster Solutions is here to help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible. We can help clean the items that do survive, help you determine what was lost in the fire and promise to work right alongside you to restore your home to its previous coziness and splendor.
