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Defend Your Home From a Lightning Strike | SERVPRO® of Biddeford-Saco
9/19/2022 (Permalink)
If you are dealing with smoke or fire damage from a recent fire, call SERVPRO of Biddeford-Saco to learn about a restoration solution for your issue.
Many household fires are avoidable, and with fire safety tools, you can ensure the safety of your whole family. But although many house fires are typically started in places like the kitchen, there are other natural threats that could affect your home and be more difficult to prevent.
More than 70,000 damage claims resulting from lightning strikes were made in 2020. While it is actually quite uncommon for a person to be struck by lightning, your property is considerably more vulnerable. And when lightning does strike, it has the power to burn out your electricity, down trees and even ignite a fire.
Approximately 6,000 lightning strikes are thought to occur each minute. So, everyone is at risk of being affected by lightning, and we should all work to keep ourselves and our homes safe before severe weather strikes.
Lightning is an enormous flash of electrical current that happens between clouds in the air and the ground. Lightning is usually present in thunderstorms, but it can also happen during a volcanic eruption, severe wildfires or even a significant snowstorm.
We typically relate lightning to severe weather, but it can even strike when the sky is clear and the air is dry. “Dry lightning” occurs without rain, and it’s capable of creating flames that result in wildfires. That means we should not only prepare for storms but also for the risk of flames as well.
Your home may sustain significant damage from a lightning strike, including flames. The warmth of the impact itself or an electrical surge brought on by the impact both have the potential to ignite a fire.
When flames are started after a strike, you might not notice them right away since lightning-related fire will often erupt up in your attic or between your walls. Check for scorching after the strike, and notify the fire department as soon as you spot black markings or smell smoke.
One of the most effective strategies to avoid lightning-related fire is to install a lightning rod. This is a metal pole that can direct the power of a lightning strike away from your house so that it is not directly affected by the temperature and electrical charge of the hit.
Lighting is a typical cause of wildfires and many other outdoor fires. There are several “peak” seasons for lightning fires in various regions of the country, but on average, 9,000 fires are ignited by lightning strikes each year.
Maintain a tidy yard free of dead or dying plants, and think about utilizing defensible zones to shield your house from close lightning strikes. Your home should also include smoke detectors on every level to be aware of any flames as soon as a fire starts.
If your home suffers from a fire, call our team at SERVPRO immediately.
Fire restoration can be an overwhelming task, but our years of experience and advanced technologies allow us to make the whole process quick and easy. We can return your fire-damaged home to its pre-disaster state as fast as we can.
Have you experienced smoke or fire damage in your home? Call us today to get the restoration finished fast.