Has your safe been through a fire?

ICTsnub · June 24th, 2008, 01:31 AM

Anyone here have a safe survive a fire? I skipped fire rated, because I could buy more safe at the time. I used to work with a retired fireman who swore papers could survive a fire in a cheap metal file cabinet. I'm more worried about the water to put the fire out, than the fire itself. Any first hand experience?

Thanks, Tom

PaulBk · June 24th, 2008, 03:51 PM

Nope, my safe has not been through a fire (yet), but I have.

I had a condo burn back in the late 70's. We lost just about everything upstairs (fire started on the roof) to flame and much of downstairs to water damage. Because of that experience I bought the fire rated version.

I wish I could get back some of the photos and documents, those were the hardest to lose. Stereos and TV's were promptly replaced by insurance, but nothnig can replace precious momentos.

-Paul

wagglebee · June 24th, 2008, 04:04 PM

I have kind of mixed feeling on it. If a fire is bad enough that it damages a non-rated safe, then just about everything in the house will also have been destroyed. My insurance will replace my guns just like everything else they will need to replace.

I have duplicates of my important papers in a bank safe deposit box, so I'm not too worried about those. I've got some cash in my safe, but not enough that it would bother me to lose it. The main thing that I would not want to lose is some family heirlooms that aren't in the safe to begin with.

I spoke to a fire investigator about it once and he said that the best precaution was to place the safe away from the most likely sources of the fire (furnace, water heater, kitchen, laundry room) because this will protect it as much as anything.

mousehunter · June 24th, 2008, 04:23 PM

I went through an apartment fire while in college. No firearms were allowed on premises

. A couple days latter was allowed back, and saw a suspicious bulge in a blob of plastic (that was a shelf). My revolver was safely entombed within - w/o any remaining finish that is.

Fires scare me more than most now - but I also suspect that the any guns that survive a fire (even in a safe) will not be what they once were (seen the surface rust).

David in FL · June 24th, 2008, 04:44 PM

To tell the truth, I didn't even know that you could get a decent gun-safe that wasn't at least minimally fire-rated these days.....

Double Naught Spy · June 24th, 2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ICTsnub

Anyone here have a safe survive a fire? I skipped fire rated, because I could buy more safe at the time. I used to work with a retired fireman who swore papers could survive a fire in a cheap metal file cabinet. I'm more worried about the water to put the fire out, than the fire itself. Any first hand experience?

Thanks, Tom

Your retired fireman isn't being quite straight with you. Yes, your papers could survive in a metal file cabinet so long as they remain less than 451 F or are without O2.

Google Image Result for http://www.roadtrip-life.com/fullImages/caBurn3.jpg

I would NOT count on your papers surviving or your guns if they are not in a fire-rated safe. Maybe you get lucky, but the fire ratings aren't there to look purdy.

FYI -
Google Image Result for http://accurateshooter.net/Products/amsec02x295.jpg

June 24th, 2008, 01:31 AM	#1
ICTsnub Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Kansas Posts: 333	Has your safe been through a fire? Anyone here have a safe survive a fire? I skipped fire rated, because I could buy more safe at the time. I used to work with a retired fireman who swore papers could survive a fire in a cheap metal file cabinet. I'm more worried about the water to put the fire out, than the fire itself. Any first hand experience? Thanks, Tom

June 24th, 2008, 03:51 PM	#2
PaulBk Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Washington State Posts: 201	Nope, my safe has not been through a fire (yet), but I have. I had a condo burn back in the late 70's. We lost just about everything upstairs (fire started on the roof) to flame and much of downstairs to water damage. Because of that experience I bought the fire rated version. I wish I could get back some of the photos and documents, those were the hardest to lose. Stereos and TV's were promptly replaced by insurance, but nothnig can replace precious momentos. -Paul __________________ The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality - Dante Hero's aren't born, they're cornered - According to Jim Last edited by PaulBk; June 24th, 2008 at 11:42 PM.

June 24th, 2008, 04:23 PM	#4
mousehunter Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 153	I went through an apartment fire while in college. No firearms were allowed on premises. A couple days latter was allowed back, and saw a suspicious bulge in a blob of plastic (that was a shelf). My revolver was safely entombed within - w/o any remaining finish that is. Fires scare me more than most now - but I also suspect that the any guns that survive a fire (even in a safe) will not be what they once were (seen the surface rust).

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June 24th, 2008, 04:04 PM	#3
wagglebee Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 155	I have kind of mixed feeling on it. If a fire is bad enough that it damages a non-rated safe, then just about everything in the house will also have been destroyed. My insurance will replace my guns just like everything else they will need to replace. I have duplicates of my important papers in a bank safe deposit box, so I'm not too worried about those. I've got some cash in my safe, but not enough that it would bother me to lose it. The main thing that I would not want to lose is some family heirlooms that aren't in the safe to begin with. I spoke to a fire investigator about it once and he said that the best precaution was to place the safe away from the most likely sources of the fire (furnace, water heater, kitchen, laundry room) because this will protect it as much as anything.

June 24th, 2008, 04:44 PM	#5
David in FL Distinguished Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,649	To tell the truth, I didn't even know that you could get a decent gun-safe that wasn't at least minimally fire-rated these days.....