You never know when a fire could break out in your home or work place. It could be during the day or in the middle of the night. It can also come from many different sources. It could be electrical or some other element has caught fire or just smoldering. When you smell smoke or even a scent of something that has overheated, it is wise to track it down at the source immediately.

Usually when there is smoke coming from somewhere, it will not be long until your smoke detectors go off, but that still will not tell you what is on fire or where it is. If the fire can not be seen at once, call your fire department immediately. If you have children or pets in the house, go ahead and get them outside or to a neighbors even if you did not see fire or see any visible smoke.

Once you have done this, you might shut off the power at the fuse box. Simply flip your main breaker just in case it is an electrical short somewhere in the wiring or an appliance. Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher. If your smoke alarms have started going off, leave them going. If you see the smoke, sparks, or fire coming from somewhere and you have the power off, you can use the extinguisher to help keep the fire from spreading until the fire department arrives.

If the blaze becomes more than the extinguisher can handle, it is time for you to get out also, even if the fire is not large. It is better to get outside now rather than risk being trapped. Fires can spread so quickly sometimes and you can become trapped a lot easier than you think. Leave the fire for the firemen that are trained to put it out. They will be there soon enough and no belongings are worth risking your life for.

Once the fire department arrives they will take over and get the fire out. They will tell you when it is safe to go back into your home. You will also need to call your insurance company and they will send someone out to access the damage for you as soon as possible.

Smelling smoke in your home is never anything to take lightly. This is one reason that it is so very important to test your smoke alarms regularly. You would not want the batteries to be dead just when you need them to work the most. You might also consider having a system installed in your home that is a monitored service that will alert you if there is smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, or a break in.