Hoarding
The clutter caused by hoarding can seriously reduce your chance of escaping from your home during a fire and may make it more difficult to rescue you. It also increases the risk to firefighters who enter the property to fight the fire.
Hoarding also increases the risk of slips and trips and someone being trapped by falling items. Furniture and ceilings could even collapse under the extra weight piled upon them.
Hoarded materials can easily catch alight if they come into contact with heat sources such as overloaded extension leads, the kitchen hob or naked flames like candles or cigarettes. Because of the amount of possessions, fires will also spread much faster.
How can you reduce fire risks for hoarders?
Because of the amount of possessions, exit routes can become blocked, making safe evacuation more difficult. Fires can also spread much faster, especially where there are flammable items such as newspapers or cardboard.
Fire safety suggestions
If you care for someone who lives in home that has become hoarded, you can help them live more safely by:
- Encouraging them not light candles or tea lights of any kind. A safer option is to use LED flameless candles.
- Ensuring they have appropriate heating so that they are not using portable heaters, candles or gas hobs to heat the home. If using portable heaters, ensuring that items aren't placed on top of, or too close to them.
- If they are a smoker, encourage them to smoke outside, never smoking in bed or where they could fall asleep, and that they use proper ashtrays
- Contacting the Local Authority to discuss options for support to clear some of the clutter
- Work with them to develop an escape plan
- Book a home fire safety visit – a free service we offer to share advice and check smoke alarms