I thought I would write this blog post on the subject of fire, and how dangerous is can be. Fire can consume a
home in less time than you realize, and it can quickly get out of control. I attended a fire safety class last year and learned that a home can be completely destroyed within 20 to 30 minutes of the initial fire starting.
When one typically thinks about fire, one often thinks about the fire in a fire place and the burning of wood at a camp fire. This type of smoke one can breath, and not really face any harm. However, homes today are made with so many more products than just wood. These plastics, metals, paints, etc. can create a deadly combination of poisonous smoke that is much more dangerous than burned wood smoke.
This is why it is so essential to have smoke alarms installed in each room of the home. One can buy a smoke alarm for has cheap as $5 in most hardware stores, and in some communities, the fire department has a donation program where they will install them for free in your home.
A fire can start in one portion of the home, and turn into a raging fire in another portion of 
the home before you might even smell the smoke. Smoke alarms save lives, and this is especially important when you are sleeping.
It is also an important reminder that one should check and make sure their home owners insurance is up to date annually. It is also an good idea to photograph each room of the home and important possessions and store those photos digitally in the cloud.
I photographed a home in November of 2011 for a bank and was asked recently to go back on a new assignment in May to photograph it again. When I returned in May, the home had been completely destroyed by fire. This has enabled me to provide these before and after photos, and thus make fire safety the topic of this blog post.
At the time I took the second photos, I did not realize that I had previously photographed this home until I stumbled upon it in my records. It is quite an alarming comparison is it not?
If this does not compel you to make sure you have smoke detectors in your home, and also make sure the batteries are functioning, I do not know what would be a better reminder.
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