Following on from last week's account of a reader's narrow escape from a house fire, this week we look at the common causes of house fires, how to prevent them, and what to do if the worst should happen.

Almost 55% of all fire deaths as a result of house fires occurs in Developed Urban Areas (your leafy suburbs in traditionally white areas) and 25% of fire deaths occur in developed township areas. Only 18% of fire deaths occur in undeveloped urban areas (squatter camps) - although the amount of loss (houses burned down) is much higher, and 2% in rural areas.

Why so high in developed urban areas you ask?

The number one reason is security. Most people who die in fires are trapped by their own security devices - be it a security gate or bars on the windows - and simply cannot get out. The other reason is that people often just don’t even get the chance to get out of bed.

What is the cause of these fires?

Surprisingly, almost 65% of the time it is a computer - many people leave them on at night, the little fan burns out, and the computer overheats and ignites. Some are caused by chargers left in a wall socket or other electronic equipment like a fax machine or the like. The rest are caused by washing machines, stoves, ovens and arson.

What happens in a fire?

If a fire breaks out in the corner of an average sized bedroom (paper burns at about 400 degrees C) the heat travels up the wall, along the roof and down to the opposite side of the room, quickly heating it up to the point of what is called "flashover" - this is the temperature at which other things spontaniously ignite, like bedding, linen and curtains. This takes about 3 minutes. The room will then fill with thick, poisonous smoke in about 2 minutes as everything ignites. The temperature in the room will be about 400 - 500 degrees C at head height. At 30 cm above the ground the temperature is about 30 - 40 degrees C. Once "flashover" occurs chances of survival are slim.

What should I do if I'm caught in a fire in my home?

Don't forget that we lose almost all our senses when we sleep. We lose almost 60% of our hearing and 70% of our ability to smell. So by the time we realise there is a problem, most often it is too late. Usually in a house fire the first thing to go is the electricity - it trips. So there is no light, the room is filling with smoke and disorientation is a reality. Get down on all fours and crawl to an exit. Do not lie on the floor or leopard crawl - it will take too long. The chances of you getting yourself to a set of keys which will hang at waist level are slim as they usually melt into the wall within about 12 minutes. Find an exit - a window or door. Even if you have to wrap yourself in a duvet and throw yourself through your bedroom window - do it. Your number one priority is to get out. Do not try to get photo albums or passports or important papers. Just get out.

Once out, never ever ever try to go back in to get a pet or something. Your chances of coming back out are slim to none.

How do I prevent this situation?

The first thing you can do is get yourself at least four smoke alarms for your home. Place one in each bedroom and one in the passage - they are designed to wake even the soundest sleeper, and will buy you time. Research shows that it can buy you up to 5 minutes more - which is the difference between life and death.

Always switch off computers, and unplug fax machines and chargers you aren't using. Never put washing in the machine or tumble dryer before bed time.

Have an exit plan, and rehearse it with children - even make a game of it. Make sure you have a meeting point in your garden somewhere, so that if necessary you can tell firefighters who is missing, so they can perform a search and rescue. Make sure your meeting place is away from the garage as there are usually flammable items in it like gas, paint and thinners that can explode. A fire extinguisher or two scattered around the house (those little ones you can get at Midas for about R100 each) can also buy you time.

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