In 2008 alone, the US fire departments responded to 386,500 home fires which cumulatively caused about $ 8.2 billion in direct damage, 13,160 civil injuries, not to mention 2,755 civil deaths. Everyday, countless homes are razed to the ground, destroyed by engulfing, unforgiving fires. Not only is fire safety a critical aspect of your daily life in protecting your family members, it is also very important to prevent fire damage of your estimated assets such as business and personal documents, jewelery, cash as well as guns. The answer to the problem is to get a fireproof gun safe.
For avid gun collectors, or even if you simply own a few guns, you would know that in some states like California, you will be subject to legal liability should you own a gun and not a fireproof gun safe. They come in a variety of sizes and the prices could range from a few hundreds to a few thousands depending on your needs and budget. A reasonably priced fireproof gun safe will cost at round five hundred dollars. Most come in the form of long cabinets for long hand guns with one or two top shelves across the safe. Some are designed with many small shelves vertical on one side of the safe.
While you are spoiled for choice, there are certain industry benchmarks that you could refer to when searching for the right one. All authentic safes are put through stringent fire tests based on specifications as advertised based on the length of time and internal temperature it can maintain without causing damage to the items in it. For guns and firearms, a 1 hour 350 degree Fahrenheit will suffice for most fires meaning that there is the safe is able to withstand at least one hour of 350 degree F of internal temperature. Of course the higher the length of time and internal temperature, the longer and more fire tolerant it is.
If you are living in a locale which is susceptible to natural fires, you should seriously look at getting a fireproof gun safe as protection for not only your precious collection of firearms, but also your valuables. After all, it can double up to safe keep your jewelery, cash and important documents as well.