Have you ever wondered whether a fire can start in your home just from the sun? The answer is yes, sunlight can cause a house fire, as its rays can be extremely dangerous when focused through glass or a mirror.
In the past five years alone, there have been 125 fires in the UK reported to have been caused by the sun’s rays.
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Experts at London Fire Brigade say glass and crystal ornaments and other items, such as mirrored tables, should never be placed in direct sunlight. Even a glass fish tank, or an object such as a water bottle, could start a fire if left in the wrong place near flammable materials.
You may think these are just fire myths, but solar radiation is a very real risk that can have tragic consequences. The fire service is warning householders to have a good look round to check for fire hazards at home. You should always have a working smoke alarm on every floor of your property.
How can sunlight cause house fires?
Think about what happened in those science experiments, when you focused sunlight through a magnifying glass and the rays could burn a hole in a piece of paper within a very short time. This is what can happen in your home unless you practice fire prevention measures.
Energy from focused sun’s rays can be extremely dangerous if directed the wrong way into flammable materials. This is a risk all year round and not just in the summer. The sun’s rays saturate the earth in a constant flow of solar energy spread over each square metre.
In normal circumstances, it’s too diluted to ignite combustible materials, such as paper or wood. However, when the rays are focused through another medium, the sun’s energy can become concentrated enough to reach the combustion threshold.
A magnifying glass does this very effectively, as it refracts the UV rays and brings them to a sharp focus, causing a point of ignition, but even glass can have the same focusing effect. This can have potentially disastrous consequences in your home.
If the rays focus on nearby objects, including soft furnishings such as curtains, furniture, clothing hanging on a clothes maiden or paper, it can cause a serious fire.
Always be aware, in every room of the house, what the sunlight from the window is shining on. For example, never leave even small vanity and shaving mirrors on the window ledge in the bathroom and always take fire prevention measures.
Has sunlight caused any serious house fires?
In Berkshire, a devastating mirror fire caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a £3.5 million home. It took six fire crews to get it under control.
Officers from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service investigated the cause of the blaze and found sunlight reflecting off a bedroom mirror had set the curtains alight in a south-facing upstairs room. This resulted in a serious blaze that caused massive fire and heat damage to the first and second floors of the property and the roof as it quickly spread.
A fire officer said afterwards that although cases of sunlight starting house fires were relatively rare, people should still be aware of the real risks of placing reflective items, such as mirrors, in direct view of sunlight.
Family pet dies in fire
In February 2015, tragedy struck at a home in Twickenham, when a fire caused by sunlight reflecting off a glass food jar caused the death of the family’s pet dog.
More than £200,000 worth of damage was caused to the property when winter sunlight refracting through an old glass food jar set the home alight. The jar was being used by a child to store rubber bands on her bedroom windowsill. The family’s Jack Russell dog, Chilli, was trapped inside the property and perished in the blaze, after the jar focused the sunlight onto the bedroom blinds and set them on fire.
The first-floor bedroom was completely destroyed, and the property’s roof was damaged. The parents and their two children had been out celebrating their wedding anniversary when the tragedy happened.
After the accident, they urged people to take heed of fire safety tips and always ensure their windowsills were clear of crystal or glass objects that could cause a life-changing fire. They said they were heartbroken at their dog’s death and the property was uninhabitable for a year while repairs were completed.
At the time, the fire service said the figures showed that these sorts of incidents were “not an urban myth”.
House fire insurance claims
According to insurers, fire-related claims are some of the most expensive types of claims in the insurance market. On average, they total a staggering £1.3 billion in pay-outs every year in the UK.
Inform your insurance provider about a fire as soon as possible. Most insurers have an emergency number for claims so you can call them 24/7. Loss assessors can work on behalf of householders to take the weight of the entire claims process off their shoulders.
If your furniture has been badly damaged in a fire, you can use an emergency rental furniture service to help you get back on your feet. Minimise the disruption by receiving furniture in ready-to-rent condition, delivered by a professional team, who will install your items.