Household Items That Can Survive a House Fire

8/2/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Upper Darby specializes in restoring contents damaged by water, fire, or mold.

Items That Are Often Found Intact Underneath Rubble After a House Fire

Suffering a house fire is a devastating experience. When the damage is severe, countless precious belongings are lost. However, in many cases, there are a few items that withstand the inferno. The average house fire burns at about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, which isn’t hot enough to destroy most metals and earthly-made substances. And if an item is well placed and small in size, its chances of survival increase drastically. Below is a list of items that are often found intact underneath rubble after a house fire.

Jewelry

Although they may endure superficial damage when they’re engulfed by flames, most jewelry maintains its composition amid high heat.

• Diamonds, which are formed below the earth’s surface under intense heat and pressure, melt at about 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Gold melts at a much cooler temperature, about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. But that’s enough to survive most house fires.

• Platinum jewelry is the priciest, so it’s a good thing that the metal’s melting point is just higher than 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Sapphire and ruby stones also possess extremely high melting points.

Silver Coins

Coin collectors who own many silver coins might find them to be their most durable possessions.

• Silver’s melting point is just below 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Filing Cabinets

Steel filing cabinets are built to last so that important documents won’t be destroyed during a fire. Their steel composition and safe placement within a home, often away from the kitchen or fireplace, give them a high survival rate.

Tools

You might not have to repurchase your tools after a fire. Steel tools are extremely durable.

• Carbon steel’s melting point is between 2,600 and 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Stainless steel’s melting point is roughly 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit.

Silverware

Most forks, knives, and spoons are composed of stainless steel, are small in size, and are placed in a confined space. These factors often enable them to take the heat.

Cookware

Cookware is built to endure extremely high temperatures. Most pots and pans are made of steel and iron, the latter of which melts at just below 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Like silverware, their placement within confined spaces helps them survive the not-so-severe fires.

Barbecue Grill

An item made for fireside cooking can outlast a fire. Most grills are composed of steel or iron, which allows them to last for decades. Most are kept in the backyard away from the worst of the inferno. But they still may have to endure falling debris.

Stone Table

The oldest rocks on this plant have survived billions of years of wear and tear, so it’s no surprise that a stone table could outlast a simple house fire. It took thousands of degrees of heat to make the rocks, and it’ll take thousands of degrees of heat to melt them.

Fire Safe

The steel composition of a fire safe allows it endure 1,700-degree infernos.

Your Belongings and Fire Damage

Fire damage, including smoke and soot, affects not only the structure of your house but also your belongings. SERVPRO of Upper Darby understands your family’s furniture, clothing, keepsakes, and other belongings make your house more than a structure; they make it your home.

Contents Restoration

SERVPRO of Upper Darby specializes in restoring contents damaged by fire, smoke, water or mold. Our expertise and “restore” versus “replace” mentality can help you save money while preserving precious keepsakes that can’t be replaced. We pretest your belongings to determine what items we can restore to pre-fire condition.

Call SERVPRO of Upper Darby, PA at (610) 352-0700 for all your cleaning, water damage, fire damage and mold remediation needs!