House Fires (Atlanta, Savannah, Fort Stewart: apartments, new home, living in)

[I-Ruehl]

Ok I come from Southern Ca, the same So Cal that burns down in an epic firestorms once a year. But what I cannot wrap my head around is "Why are there so many structure fires here?" Old housing? just wondering.

[Padgett2]

You will notice that a lot of these house fires seem to be caused by Space Heaters. The older houses simply do not have the proper heating, and space heaters are used to fill in and heat living or sleeping areas.

Old wiring is another problem. It's often overloaded with extension cords, etc.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

You will notice that a lot of these house fires seem to be caused by Space Heaters. The older houses simply do not have the proper heating, and space heaters are used to fill in and heat living or sleeping areas.

Old wiring is another problem. It's often overloaded with extension cords, etc.

I live in the Atlanta area and we moved here from New England. We are constantly amazed at all the apartment and house fires here in GA. The old home, cold weather reasoning just doesn't seem correct, given where we used to live. We never had anything like the number of fires, and we had homes that averaged 120 years old and "new homes" were 30 years old. Ours was built in 1890. Of course we updated everything, and folks have more money up there to fix up older homes.

I think here in GA it's more related to people being reckless, possibly smoking in bed or cooking and leaving things on the stove. I supposed space heaters may also be an issue, but even in the non-cold seasons there seem to be more fires here.

[southernnaturelover]

Southern food is often fried, which means cooking with hot oil is common (this is dangerous with elderly people). Many areas also had a housing boom during the 1970's, which is when aluminum wiring was used. Numerous other things can cause fires, lightning strikes, rodents/squirrels chewing through wires, etc..

[I-Ruehl]

That kinda scares me, home was bulit in 73

[WNCbadwolf]

Also in the 1970's is when most older houses were modernized for the first time in its history. If electric wiring were updated then they would have probably used aluminum wiring. Large houses were divided up into apartments & the city codes were not as strict as they are today. Sometimes people remodel their homes & don't get permits &/or inspected, so they do not follow codes in an effort to save money.

Where I live there have been a few house fires that were caused due to the home being remolded at some point without getting inspected & the wiring was not installed properly. Another fire here was due to a grease fire. Over the years there have been MANY fires due to kerosene heaters.

As homes get older the wood in the structure of the home gets more & more dry causing it to become more susceptible to fires, just one little spark & it can go up in flames very quickly.

[I-Ruehl]

On another note, I smell what seems to be brush fire often, and its not fireplaces. nothing in the news papers, online, or on TV I have seen about it. Controlled burns? Is it from the mills? I smell fire so strong it kinda scares me. Last Night did anyone else notice?

[Padgett2]

It's the time of year when people rake up the winter leaf fall and burn them. Small fires in the back yard, but the smoke and odor drift a good ways. You will have to get used to it. We have tons and tons of leaves to get rid of. Some people insist on burning them. It's illegal in most areas, but the police have more to do than track down smoke.

And yes, since there are controled burns in some places, such as Fort Stewart, and that could be what you smell. It's so common that it wouldn't be mentioned in the paper. The marshes sometimes catch fire too. It's just part of living in this area. It's not the danger that you had in California.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by I-Ruehl

On another note, I smell what seems to be brush fire often, and its not fireplaces. nothing in the news papers, online, or on TV I have seen about it. Controlled burns? Is it from the mills? I smell fire so strong it kinda scares me. Last Night did anyone else notice?

I didn't but a friend across town mentioned it.

Yes, this is controlled burning season which actually adds to the prevention of wildfires. The smoke can carry for a hundred miles or more. There are a few wildfires loose out there, too. Fortunately we're not as fire prone or dry as southern California, so you can relax.

If you lived in a house trailer or frame house out in the piney woods, you should be concerned, but in ordinary Savannah suburbia you'll be fine.