A firefighter’s wife is educating TikTok viewers on what she says is the main type of house fire that burns a home to the ground.
“It will surprise the hell out of you and no one ever guesses it,” Jess (@unhingedreviewswjess) warns her followers in a recent video that’s been viewed over 1.5 million times.
Pointing to the exhaust fan in her bathroom ceiling, she explains that a lot of people don’t think to clean inside the vents properly. This leads to an accumulation of dust and dirt over the years, which can catch a spark if the fan shorts out.
“And the fire actually goes up into the attic space, the crawlspace, of the home, and the fire is allowed to develop over the ceiling and over the fire detectors,” Jess says. “And by the time anyone realizes there’s a fire, it’s usually too late.”
What is the most common type of house fire?
The TikToker goes on to say that “Google will tell you the most common house fire is a kitchen fire,” and she’s correct. According to State Farm, cooking is behind the majority of home fires in the United States.
But though it’s more common for fires to start that way, she says, that’s “not how they burn to the ground.”
“My husband is a firefighter of 17 years and he calls this fire a ‘house burner,’” she said of exhaust fan fires. “In his opinion, it is the most dangerous fire to get started in your house.”
@unhingedreviewswjess Google will tell you the most common house fire is a kitchen fire. That may be the most common way fired get *started* in houses, but not how they burn to the ground. RJ said kitchen fires are usually put out by the time they arrive on scene. It’s not only RJ’s opinion that this is the most dangerous fire in your home, but I met a retired FF who was working as a Fire Safety guy that worked for the city that 100% agreed with him. Exhaust fans accumulate sooo much dust and dirt over the years. I prefer to replace them over cleaning them. They’re not terribly expensive or difficult to replace. A lot easier than replacing your home, and not to mention everything in it!! Stay safe, friends. #firefighter #firefightertiktok #firefighters #homeimprovement #renovation #diyproject #homeproject #homerenovation ♬ Suspense, horror, piano and music box – takaya
How to avoid exhaust fan fires
Keeping the area around the exhaust fan clean is one way to help prevent fires from starting. Jess also suggests using them only when necessary and for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
“Turn them off before you leave the house,” she continued. “Please turn them off before you go to bed.”
Viewers were grateful for the video, with many admitting they didn’t realize exhaust fans could pose such a risk.
“I seriously did not know this,” wrote one commenter. “I leave mine on 24/7 because I love white noise… I have some changes to make.”
“New fear unlocked,” another chimed in.
“Worked product liability claims. Yep, this and clothes dryers,” a further user agreed.
“My condo burned down because my neighbor left theirs running all day,” said one person. “The wiring was probably old, but, the fire department said it’s very common for those to spark.”
Another viewer said theirs also caused a fire in their ceiling but that they managed to catch it “just in time,” although it still caused a lot of damage.
“I prefer to replace [exhaust fans] over cleaning them,” Jess admitted as an alternate solution. “They’re not terribly expensive or difficult to replace.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jess via TikTok comment.
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