Ever catch that smell that tells you you have a gas leak? Gas can be the cause of extremely explosive fire—one of the most dangerous types of fires a firefighter can encounter. With a gas fire, the gas in the air itself catches fire—and it’s extremely flammable. All it takes is a tiny spark. Gas fires have been known to cause explosions that have destroyed entire houses.
The natural gas used in stoves and gas fireplaces is extremely flammable. If you’re not aware of your gas leak, you take a risk with your life simply striking a match or turning on your oven’s burner. Here are a few tips about modern gas fires that may save your life in an emergency.
If you smell gas in your house, call your gas company. Your gas company will send a repairman out to your house to check your connections. In some cases, they may need to shut off your natural gas meter until a plumber can come out and fix the leak. Don’t try to fix the leak yourself.
The air isn’t the only thing that will catch fire. Gas can still cause a fire—even a controlled fire—that can heat its surroundings enough to be dangerous. If you have a gas fireplace, keep an eye on the framing header above the fireplace itself. This may overheat, becoming a fire hazard later.
Liquid gas, or gasoline, is also very volatile. You can’t fight Vaseline fires with water, however. Water doesn’t mix with oil, and tends to sink to the bottom in any container it shares with it. If you throw water on a liquid fire, the water will simply boil and become steam extremely quickly.
To stop a liquid fire, you have a few options. If it’s a small fire, it can be put out by smothering it with a blanket. Wrap the person on fire or object with a blanket, preferably a fire-resistant fire blanket. This is dangerous, however, and possible only if the fire is small enough for the blanket to smother it completely.
The first thing you should do with a gas fire is turn off the gas—so make sure you’ve turned it off. If the fire is too large to take out with a blanket, use a fire extinguisher. Class B fire extinguishers are designed to put out fires caused by gasoline and other flammable liquids. Most home fire extinguishers have a combination A-B-C rating, and that should be enough to take care of a gasoline fire.
Gas fires are the most dangerous fires that firefighters experience. If you smell gas in your home, you may be living in an explosion waiting to happen. Instead of waiting, call the gas company to repair the leak. If they can’t come soon, call your fire department right away. Gas fires cause conflagrations that are difficult to impossible to put out, and only professional firefighters are qualified to put them out. Watch out for that sharp smell that means gas, and you should be able to keep your home and family safe. |
