Outdoor Fire Pit Safety For Your West Olive, MI Home

6/1/2023 (Permalink)

Be safe this summer!

Summer weather is here, which means backyard barbeques and bonfires.  Before lighting up an inferno, check out these fire pit safety tips to keep you and your West Olive home safe.

• Check wind conditions - before setting a blaze to your fire pit, check the local weather conditions.  Do not use your fire pit if it is unusually windy, which can make it difficult to light the kindling or could blow sparks to surrounding brush or structures, potentially starting a fire.
• Build the fire in the open - never light your fire pit when it is underneath the overhang of a building or beneath trees.  Make sure to keep the immediate surrounding area clear of yard waste and other flammable materials.  Sparks can blow out of the fire and ignite nearby structures, dry wood, or leaves, which could lead to a fire emergency.
• Never burn construction lumber - to fuel your fire, use wood from around your home or seasoned hardwood kindling and logs.  Never use construction materials such as plywood, MDF, pressure-treated boards and posts, or chemically treated wood pallets.  These are treated with chemical resins, adhesives, and other substances that emit toxic fumes when burned.
• Be ready to extinguish flames - keep a fire extinguisher, garden hose, or bucket of water nearby to extinguish the fire in case of an emergency.  A shovel is handy as well to smother the flames by throwing dirt on them.
• Never leave a fire unattended - even when the fire has died down and only glowing embers remain, do not leave your fire unattended.  Tiny flames are still a potential threat as they can rekindle a fire.  Make sure to pour water over live embers and turn logs to make sure all sides have stopped burning.

If your home experiences fire damage, call SERVPRO of Holland / West Ottawa County, we are Here to help®, 616-396-8180