Most house fires don’t start with anything dramatic. A pan left on the stove while someone answers the door. A cheap multi-plug with an iron, a kettle and a phone charger in it. A gas hose that has gone hard and cracked. This guide is the list we would go through if we came to your flat.
Short answer: check the gas, check the sockets, keep a small ABC extinguisher and a fire blanket where you can grab them, and make sure everyone can get out, even at night.
The kitchen
- Gas hose and regulator. Rubber hoses harden and crack with age. Bend the hose gently: if you see cracks, replace it. Brush soapy water on the joints with the gas on. Bubbles mean a leak.
- If you smell gas, don’t switch any light or fan on or off. A switch can make a spark. Turn off the cylinder or the main valve, open the windows, get everyone out, and call for help from outside.
- Never leave a pan of oil on the flame. Oil fires grow fast, and water makes them explode. A fire blanket is the safest way to put one out. See How to Use a Fire Blanket.
- Keep curtains, dish towels and plastic away from the stove.
Wiring and sockets
- One socket, one heavy appliance. Irons, water heaters, air conditioners and microwaves should not share a multi-plug.
- Feel plugs and switch plates now and then. Warm, brown or smelling of burnt plastic means a loose or overloaded connection. Get an electrician.
- If a breaker keeps tripping, it is telling you something. Don’t replace it with a bigger one. Our guide MCB or MCCB? explains why.
- IPS batteries give off gas while they charge. Keep them somewhere with air, not in a closed cupboard, and away from anything that burns.
Candles, mosquito coils and load-shedding
Power cuts bring out candles and coils. Put them on a metal or ceramic plate, away from curtains and bedding, and never leave one burning in an empty room or by a sleeping child. A rechargeable light is safer.
What to keep at home
- A small ABC dry powder extinguisher (1 or 2 kg). It works on most home fires: cloth, paper, wood, oil and gas. Hang it near the kitchen door, on the way out, not right beside the stove.
- A fire blanket on the kitchen wall, for pan fires and for wrapping someone whose clothes are alight.
- A fire extinguisher ball above a spot nobody watches, like the electric meter box or the generator.
Show everyone at home how to use the extinguisher. Our guide How to Use a Fire Extinguisher takes two minutes to read.
ABC Dry Powder Fire ExtinguisherPrice on requestGet a price
Getting out
In many Dhaka buildings the real danger is not the fire but a locked collapsible gate or a stair full of stored furniture. Agree with your family:
- Where the keys to the main door and the gate are kept at night. Same place, every night, near the door.
- Which way you go down if the stairs are full of smoke. Stay low, where the air is cleaner.
- Where you meet outside, so you know everyone is out.
- Never use the lift in a fire.
Talk to your building committee about keeping the stairs clear and making sure the roof door opens from the inside without a key. For a fire, call 999 or the Fire Service on 16163.
Common questions
What size fire extinguisher do I need for a flat?
A 1 kg or 2 kg ABC dry powder extinguisher is enough for most flats. Larger homes, or a home with a shop or workshop downstairs, may want a 4 kg one as well.
Where should I keep the extinguisher?
Near the kitchen door, at a height everyone can reach, on the way out. If the fire is at the stove, you should not have to reach past it.
Is a fire blanket better than an extinguisher in the kitchen?
For a burning pan of oil, yes. The blanket cuts off the air without spraying anything into the oil. Keep both: the blanket for the pan, the extinguisher for everything else.
What should I do if I smell gas at night?
Do not touch any switch. Close the cylinder or main valve, open windows and doors, take everyone outside, and call for help from there.
Recommended products from our stock
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