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Garage Fire in Athens, AL

These are pictures of a garage fire in Athens , Al. The leading cause of garage fires is electrical malfunction. This may be due to shorts in wires, damaged wires, and overloading electrical outlets.

Keep your home safe by following a few easy tips: • Store oil, gasoline, paints, propane and varnishes in a shed away from your home. • Keep items that can burn on shelves away from appliances. • Plug only one charging appliance into an outlet. • Don’t use an extension cord when charging an appliance.

Garage safety through construction — install: • A 20-minute fire-rated door that is self-closing and self-latching from the garage into the house. • A ceiling made with ?-inch Type X gypsum board (or the equivalent) if you have living space above the garage. • A wall with ½-inch gypsum board (or the equivalent) if the wall attaches the garage to your home. • An attic hatch cover if you have attic access from the garage. • A heat alarm — not a smoke alarm — in your garage. The heat alarm will sound if the temperature rises too high. Learn more about what type of heat alarm is best for garage installation at www.usfa.fema.gov.