Ain’t no sunshine?
With our current British weather, a warning about the dangers of winter sun seems a little off the wall to say the least, BUT the low angle of the rays at this time of year is the cause of a significant number of house fires.
The resulting devastation for householders, in terms of damage to property and treasured belongings, as well as the grueling task of cleaning up, replacing items and chasing up insurance claims, is not something you’d wish on your worst enemy.
Magnifying the problems
That’s the trouble, you see – that old trick we used to play when we were kids – using a magnifying glass to focus the sun’s rays and char a piece of paper. It’s exactly the same effect that occurs if you keep glass items on windowsills or anywhere accessible to direct sunlight. That could be crystal vases, ornaments, bottles, mirrors, and even fish bowls and glass doorknobs.
Talking of mirrors – dressing table vanity mirrors placed at the wrong angle have been the cause of many disastrous house fires.
Here are a couple of 2015 reports from London Fire Brigade:
“The winter sun caused another fire on Monday when a concave mirror focused sunlight onto a shirt that was draped over a chair in East Dulwich.”
And, tragically:
“Sun rays shining through a glass jar of Nutella chocolate spread sparked a huge house fire that killed a family’s dog, London Fire Brigade has said.”
So… think before you arrange anything made of glass or other reflective material.
DO be alarmed!
As an extra precaution, it makes really good sense to have smoke alarms on every floor of your property to alert you when a fire starts.
Making sure your household insurance policies are up to date and provide adequate cover won’t stop fires from happening but they sure will help afterwards if the worst should take place.
For help and advice on buying the correct Household cover visit www.hiexpert.co.uk or call The Expert Insurance Group on 01825 745 410
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