Firefighter's wife reveals the one item that causes the 'most dangerous house fire' - almost every house has it

Safety at home is the most important yet one of the most risky things ever. Think about how a short circuit or lighting a stove top goes wrong and ruins your house in a few minutes. When you think of housefires, they’re often caused by the most unbelievable sources. Something small can lead to something life-threatening. A firefighter’s wife, Jesse, shared the common source of fires at homes that cause the most dangerous effects, one that could potentially burn a house down. The woman cited a mundane and unexpected source and you will be surprised. “You will never be able to guess it,” she said.

In her caption, the woman mentioned that many people think horrible fires that firefighters have to put out come from kitchens but there’s not much truth there. “That may be the most common way fires get ‘started’ in houses, but not how they burn to the ground,” she explained. “It's not only RJ's opinion that this is the most dangerous fire in your home, but I met a retired firefighter who was working as a fire safety guy for the city, and 100% agreed with him,” she noted. Jesse walked towards one of her rooms and focused her camera on one of the most common items almost every home has: Exhaust fans.

Elaborating further, the woman mentioned that exhaust fans are normally the last thing that is cleaned or maintained in a house. Over time, there is dust and a lot of particles stuck up in this equipment. “When the motor shorts out, it gets hot enough to start a fire,” Jess explained. “The fire is allowed to develop in the crawlspace or the attic,” she remarked.

So you have a fire growing rapidly “above the ceiling,” without even having a clue. The only time one realizes is when it’s too late and a fire has already caused major damage. This is because the fire is spreading above the fire alarms and before it can be detected, it has already done enough damage to carry on.

Jesse shared that her husband has been a firefighter for 17 years and she, has picked up the threats of a potential house fire and how to prevent them. The first step is to pay attention to exhaust fans- the number one source of concern. The woman went on to highlight a few tips to avoid such a massive break of fire. Firstly, she suggested switching off the exhaust fans before going to bed and leaving the house. Next, she gave a generic rule to use the exhaust fans “only when needed.” Lastly, the best way to avoid such risks is to regularly clean and maintain the equipment.

In her caption, she added some more insight. “Exhaust fans accumulate so much dust and dirt over the years. I prefer to replace them over cleaning them. They're not terribly expensive or difficult to replace. A lot easier than replacing your home, and not to mention everything in it!! Stay safe, friends,” she concluded. @courtneyshmortney added, “My condo burned down because my neighbors left theirs running all day.” @kyleraeee noted, “Ours caught fire as a kid. Luckily, it was a small one and we noticed it.” @ladybird_902 remarked, “I did not know this, I leave mine on for white noise. Thank you for telling me.”

You can follow Jesse (@unhingedreviewjess) on TikTok for more content on life hacks and safety.

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.