In Australia, we escaped a scary wildfire. In ancient Japan, we helped put out a huge blaze that would have burned an entire rice harvest.

Fires can happen almost anywhere, but most of them occur at home. Tell an adult right away if you ever see sparks coming from an electric cord or appliance. And never, ever play with matches!

Remember to call 911 at the first sign of fire. And remember these important things, too. They could save your life.

1. People are less likely to die from burns than from breathing in smoke.

2. If you hear a smoke alarm go off, leave the building right away. If you smell smoke, do the same thing.

3. If a door feels hot to touch, don’t open it. If smoke is coming from under a door but the door isn’t hot, use caution and open it a little. Keep your head turned away. Opening the door will feed oxygen to the fire and make it worse.

4. If there is a lot of smoke in the hall, close the door right away and stay inside.

5. Stuff towels, clothes, or anything you can find around the cracks in the door to keep the smoke out.

6. Oxygen is heavier than smoke and stays low to the ground. Crawl along the floor so you can breathe.

7. Firefighters might not be able to see you because of the smoke. If you can, open a window and signal for help by yelling or waving something that is brightly colored.