It can happen any time.

Millions of fires are reported across the world every year.

In the United States alone, a house fire breaks out roughly every minute on average.

But life-saving decisions are made within seconds.

So how can you buy yourself more time?

Do you know all your options?

If you don't have a plan, then get out a pen.

Here's how to survive a fire, according to science.

The main causes of house fires are all preventable.

For the most part, we're simply not paying attention.

We're either distracted or we're just not being careful;

an unattended stove, a lit cigarette, a faulty appliance.

We've all had a few close calls burned into our memory, never to be repeated.

But have you really learned your lesson?

Fires are unpredictable but your survival doesn't have to be.

Be prepared.

There's stress, there's confusion, there's a lot of heat, but no matter what, you've got to stay cool.

And the best way to do that is knowing what to do.

Plan a few escape routes and get familiar with them.

It's always nice to have a few options that can get you out calmly, quickly and safely.

Cover your nose and mouth.

Your room or your home will start filling up with smoke very quickly.

And chances are you're going to have to pass through it in order to get out.

Breathing in too much smoke can cause you to pass out.

But you can fight back by wetting a cloth and holding it over your nose and mouth.

Stay low to the ground.

Covering your nose and mouth might only buy you a few extra minutes.

But in life and death, every second counts.

And while smoke may be a greater threat than the fire itself, it also rises.

So on top of protecting your nose and mouth, you can improve your chances by getting on your hands and knees and crawling your way towards an exit.

Check every door.

In a house fire, a closed door can either save you or stop you in your tracks.

As you pass from one room to another, remember to close doors behind you to help prevent the fire from spreading any faster.

Fires need oxygen to survive, so by closing doors, you're cutting off the free flow of oxygen between rooms.

By the same token, be careful when you open doors ahead of you.

Look for any smoke that might be coming through the cracks and feel the door itself for heat.

You don't want to open it if there's a fire raging on the other side.

If the door feels okay, then open it just to crack to make sure.

If the room's clear. Move ahead but stay alert.

Stop, drop and roll.

It's the moment you've been waiting for.

Yes.

Firefighters still stand by this mantra.

If your clothes ever catch fire, rolling back and forth will smother the flames so you can get back on track.

And finally, once you're out, stay out.

You escape your burning home and reach a safe distance away when, oh no, your passport, your cat, your family photos, your priceless stamp collection.

Whatever it is, don't go back inside for anything.

You were lucky to get out safely.

You might not be so lucky a second time.

Put your safety first and leave the rest to the professionals.

Of course, all fires are unique and there's no guarantee that they'll play out in the way we just outlined.

So if you're still in doubt, refer back to step one - be prepared.

Test your smoke alarms regularly, invest in a few fire extinguishers and get some rope ladders for the upper levels of your home.

And if you're ever in a situation where you're really trapped,

a good tip is to block as much smoke as possible from getting into your room and then hanging some kind of visible fabric like a towel or bed sheet from your window.

This will signal your location to the firefighters and they'll be able to save you much faster.

So how do you feel now?

A little safer?

If you know an aspiring chef or an absent-minded professor, show them this video, they'll thank you later.

And for answers to all your other burning questions, stay tuned for more according to science.