As a homeowner, you’re probably more than aware of the dangers that can threaten your home. The thought of a flood, electrical fire, or damage from a storm can be enough to keep many people up at night, and it’s even worse when you have to deal with more than one problem at once. While it might seem a little absurd at first, one combination of damage that actually occurs quite frequently–and with perfectly good reason–is fire and water.
So, how does this happen? There are a number of scenarios where such a seemingly unlikely situation can occur. Regardless of how it happens, as a homeowner you should know that when water or fire damage occurs, time is of the essence. The longer you wait to assess the damage and begin repairs, the more of your house will succumb to damage, whether it be structural damage, mold, or something else. So, how can such a scenario occur?
Chain Reaction
When you think about it, it’s very likely that one event can cause another. If you live in an older house, for example, there’s a good chance that some of your home’s systems are in need of maintenance. If this includes plumbing, then water damage from leaking or burst pipes is only a matter of time. If your house also has older wiring in its walls, then these leaking pipes can cause your faulty and exposed wiring to get wet, which can spark a fire. This is why it’s important (even if you’re house is newer) to make sure your house is being properly maintained.
Putting Out The Fire
While the above scenario makes perfect sense, here’s one that’s probably even more likely: suppose your house catches fire. In this scenario, the reason doesn’t matter. Electrical, ashes from the fireplace — for whatever reason, your house is on fire. When firefighters arrive to put out the fire, there’s a good chance that they’re going to be spraying water (as well as other substances) to put out that fire. So, when it’s all over, the water used to end the fire caused just as much damage as the fire that they were trying to put out.
So, as you can see, what seems like an unlikely combination of events is one that actually makes sense, and could happen to anyone. And while you can’t prevent everything from happening, you can try to do your part to make it less possible: get your electrical systems checked out. Have your plumbing inspected. Take precautions to prevent a fire from starting in your house. And if something does happen, don’t wait before getting the damage assessed and fixed.
