accidental fires

Various objects were thought to have magic power to preserve a house from fire if hung from the rafters or placed in the roofing, for example eggs laid on Ascension Day and a hawthorn twig gathered on the same day, and buns baked on Good Friday. Houseleeks growing on the roof were protective too. As one of the dangers of thunderstorms is that lighting may strike a building and set it alight, the various plants and objects listed as warding off thunder are also, indirectly, protections against certain types of fire.