Can Your Gun Safe Withstand a House Fire? Gun Safe Fire Survival

With over 350,000 house fires occurring each year¹, it’s not surprising that so many individuals desire a gun safe to secure their belongings. A gun safe is a perfect appliance to keep your guns and valuables secure when you are at home or traveling. But what if there was a fire? Will a gun safe survive a house fire? Let’s find out!

Will A Gun Safe Survive A House Fire?

1. Fire Resistance Certification: There is no universal regulation for what constitutes a “fireproof” safe. Fire resistance certification can vary between manufacturers. Look for safes that have undergone standardized fire tests and have received certification from organizations like Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
2. Duration of the Fire: The duration of a house fire can significantly impact a gun safe’s performance. Most quality safes are rated to withstand fires for a specific amount of time, such as 30 minutes or 60 minutes. Longer fire ratings offer more protection.
3. Temperature and Placement: The temperature at which the fire burns and the safe’s placement within the house matter. House fires can reach temperatures of 1,100°F on average. Safes located in areas with intense flames may face more significant challenges.
4. Fire Insulation: The presence of fire insulation is a critical factor. Fire-resistant safes have insulation that helps protect the contents by slowing down the transfer of heat. This insulation can prevent internal temperatures from reaching damaging levels.
5. Contents Inside the Safe: The materials stored inside the safe can affect its performance. Items with lower melting points, like certain types of ammunition or documents, may be more vulnerable to damage.

It’s crucial to choose a gun safe with a fire rating that aligns with your needs and to follow manufacturer guidelines for safe placement within your home. Additionally, consider using fire-resistant bags or containers for sensitive documents and items within the safe for added protection.

Gun Safe Is Completely Fire-Resistant

Many of us may wonder whether the contents of the safe will survive a house fire! The answer is yes. Safes are not only fire-resistant but also offer several other benefits, such as water resistance and tamper-evident features that make it difficult for criminals.

Fire resistance is a ubiquitous marketing tool companies use to sell gun safes in today’s gun safe market. To encourage consumers’ purchase, the firm must ensure that the gun safe would protect their weapons or valuables in the case of a fire.

We all know that a house can burn down in minutes and that most houses have an average of ninety thousand dollars of property inside.

Before firefighters arrived, the average house fire will burn for 20 minutes within the temperature range from 800 to 1200 degrees. But with the proper precautions, your guns will remain protected in almost every emergency.

Knowing how to keep yourself safe in a fire could also make the recovery process a little easier for your family. The size and integrity of a gun safe, plus the room’s insulation, will determine the amount of heat it can resist before melting.

Safes with less than an hour of fire resistance will not provide adequate protection to survive a typical home or business fire. That’s why it is senseless to purchase a safe that can’t completely protect your guns and valuables.

Although this is essential for a good fire rating, some cheap safes don’t even have fire seals on the door.

Read: What to do with an Old Gun Safe?

What Makes A Gun Safe Fire-Retardant?

Rhino Ironworks Gun Safe

The thickness of the material used to construct a safe determines its fire resistance.

A safe built to give exceptional fire protection constructs of solid steel, numerous layers of UL fire-rated sheetrock. And its door seals can keep smoke and heat out of your safe.

However, to provide proper fire protection, manufacturers combine either a fire-board or composite material.

Fire-Board Material

Drywall is another term for fireboard. It is a powdered rock called gypsum placed between two thick sheets of paper to make a boat.

The manufacturer installed the drywall between the safe’s outside steel wall and the inside wall. Water discharges as the drywall warms up in a fire, and this vapor cools the inside gun safe.

There are two types of drywall: standard and upgraded versions with additives that provide superior fire safety.

Composite Material

Composite Material

In some cases, the problem is that the fire-board is still susceptible to damage from extreme heat.

As a result, the manufacturer uses a concrete-based composite material to increase the fire resistance of the gun safe. They also use this substance to fill the space between the safe’s outside and inside metal walls.

Since composite is a poor heat conductor, it heats up very slowly, protecting the valuables within the safe from the heat outside. Composite gun safes are often quite heavy and among the most costly choices available on the market.

How Does The Fire Test Of Gun Safe?

Organizing experiments make sure a gun safe can keep whatever’s inside from being destroyed by heat through a series of tests.

Underwriters laboratories conducted the most widely recognized test for this purpose.

There are four kinds of tests:

1. Fire endurance – standard test: fire protection.
2. Fire and impact – additional test: Drop the safe from 30 feet to mimic a drop from a third floor into a basement in the event of a significant fire.
3. Explosion hazard – required test: guarantee the safe will not explode in a rapid heating condition due to pressure building inside the safe or the safe walls.
4. Explosion and impact – combine test.

Why Do You Need A Fire-Rated Gun Safe?

A gun safe is a long-term investment that will provide you with peace of mind. Almost all insurance companies require this type of protection, and they’re typically well worth the cost!

You can store essential papers and photocopies, as well as valuable jewelry, in a safe without taking up too much space.

Make sure you have a fire-rated gun safe that can withstand temperatures above 1200 degrees. In addition, the gun safe can protect your property in devastating circumstances like a house fire or burglary.

That’s all why it pays off to get a gun safe designed with some perfect details like fireproof protection for peace of mind.

For fire-rated gun safes, take a look at Cannon, Liberty, and Sentry to find one that works best for you. High-quality safes can be pricey, but protecting your priceless objects makes them worth investing in.

Generally, gun safes are a great idea for those who live in high-risk fire areas like California, but even if your neighborhood has great public security, there’s always the danger of theft. It never harms to protect yourself and your family by using a fire-rated safe.

FAQs: Gun Safes and Fire Safety

Do guns survive house fires?

• Guns can survive house fires, but their condition afterward depends on various factors such as the temperature and duration of the fire, the safe’s fire rating, and the materials stored inside the safe. While some guns may survive, it’s essential to prioritize safety and consider storing firearms in a fire-resistant safe.

Will a fireproof safe survive a house fire?

• Fireproof safes are designed to withstand fires for a specified period, typically ranging from 30 minutes to several hours. These safes provide protection against fire damage to their contents during a fire. The ability of a fireproof safe to survive a house fire depends on its fire rating and the intensity of the fire.

How long does a safe need to be fireproof?

• The necessary fireproof duration for a safe depends on your specific needs and concerns. Common fire ratings include 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes. Choose a fireproof safe with a rating that aligns with the potential fire hazards in your area and the value of the items you intend to protect.

Can you store a gun in a fireproof safe?

• Yes, you can store guns in a fireproof safe. In fact, it’s a recommended practice to help protect firearms from both theft and fire damage. Ensure the safe is appropriately sized and configured to accommodate your firearms and any accessories while maintaining safety standards.

How long can a gun safe last in a fire?

• The duration a gun safe can last in a fire depends on its fire rating. Different safes are designed to withstand fires for varying lengths of time, as determined by standardized testing. Safes with longer fire ratings offer more extended protection during a fire emergency.

Can guns melt in a house fire?

• Yes, guns can melt in a house fire, especially if exposed to extreme heat for an extended period. Firearms are typically made of metal, which has a high melting point. However, intense house fires can reach temperatures that can cause metal to weaken, deform, or melt.

Are Gun Safes Fireproof?

• Gun safes are not entirely fireproof, but they are fire-resistant. The degree of fire resistance varies depending on the safe’s fire rating. A fire-resistant safe is designed to protect its contents from fire damage for a specified period, allowing valuables like firearms to remain intact in most fire scenarios.

How long does a safe need to be fireproof?

• The required fireproof duration for a safe depends on your specific needs and the potential fire hazards in your area. Fireproof safes come with different fire ratings, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours. Choose a safe with a fire rating that aligns with your protection requirements.

Final Words

Hopefully, reading this article can help you find out which gun safe measures work best for your needs and answer your question about will a gun safe survive a house fire.

If you have any additional questions about this topic, please feel free to comment below. Also, stay tuned to update more helpful posts from our site!

1. https://www.thespruce.com/causes-of-house-fires-1835107 ↩︎