Gun safes are used by people who own weapons and ammunition, and in places where weapons are stored, like police stations. The primary use of these safes is to prevent weapons from getting stolen, and to avoid unauthorized access. These safes are particularly useful in shops that sell guns, clips and magazines.
However, in the event of a fire, gun safes could well turn into the equivalents of dirty-bombs; during fires, the intense heat from the flames could set off bullets from clips and magazines and even cause loaded rifles to go off. Bullets start ricocheting within the safe, and sometimes even blast their way out of the safe itself. This can be extremely dangerous, and could cause people standing well away from the site to get hurt or even killed.
Apart from this, the fire could cause irreparable damage to the weapons, making them unfit for use. To prevent the loss of weapons or ammunition to fire, fireproof gun safes can be used. These safes are similar in shape and structure to normal gun safes, but come with extra insulation and protection so as to prevent internal temperatures from exceeding over a certain level. This protects the weapons inside the safe and keeps ammunition from exploding or going off.
Fireproof safes are currently being made standard throughout the US, owing to their efficiency in keeping fires from damaging weapons and property. Fire resistant gun safes undergo stringent quality checks by the Underwriters Laboratory, which is an organization dedicated to the unbiased testing of security and efficiency of various devices, including safes. Once the safes have been deemed safe by the UL, the companies that brought forth the original safe are allowed to mass-produce the same and sell them as well.