The holidays are a time for celebration, giving thanks and a time of joy that should not end in tragedy. Christmas and New Year are times a when a little extra attention to a few simple tips can help prevent fires in the home.
“The reasons, I believe, for the increase in home fires during the holidays is fireplaces, candles, over-exerted extension cords as well as Christmas trees and space heaters,” said Mount Vernon Fire Chief Shawn Christy.
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Many of those things we associate with Christmas can be the most dangerous. According to the U.S. Fire Administration of the Department of Homeland Security, Christmas tree fires alone account for an average of 200 fires a year nationwide resulting in an average of six deaths and 25 injuries. A dry Christmas tree can catch fire and engulf an entire room in less than 30 seconds making a safe escape almost impossible.
“Christmas trees themselves are very flammable,” Christy explained. “One way we can prevent that is to keep them watered. A dry Christmas tree is a dangerous Christmas tree.”
In addition to dry trees, worn lights, unattended candles, flammable decorations and outdoor displays subjected to less than ideal weather conditions all figure in the dangers.
There is nothing cozier than a nice warm fire in a fireplace or woodburner on a cold winter evening. Too often homeowners fail to inspect fireplaces and chimneys before lighting up for the cold weather.
“Woodburners and fireplaces need to be examined once a year, prior to your starting the fire, by a certified inspector,” said Christy. “Early in the year we tend to see a higher number of fires due to bird nests and things like that because people didn’t properly inspect that. Later in the year as their chimneys and flues get dirtier, then we tend to see the chimney fires, too.”
Precautions also need to be observed with portable heaters, too. Like fireplaces and candles, portable heaters should not be left unattended and should not be placed near decorations or flammable materials.
Holiday time can also be one of distraction. Christy said the top causes of home fires during the holidays are unattended cooking and smoking.
With lots of activities and guests in the house it can be very easy to forget about a cigarette in an ashtray or a pot on the stove.
“The two biggest problems for fire are smoking and unmonitored cooking,” Christy said. “Those are still the one and two reasons why we have fires at home today.”
There are other things most of us don’t consider that need to be watched at Christmas time. Electric decorations can put a strain on a home’s wiring when all the lights and extras have been placed throughout the home. Using the wrong size fuses and overloading the home’s electrical circuits by trying to plug too many things into a wall outlet are recipes for disaster. Christy also warns that only lights specifically intended for outdoor use should be used for outdoor displays.
Although holiday decorations, such as Christmas tree lights are only used once a year, they can become damaged merely from storage. Lights stored with other items stacked on top can bend wires to a point where they might fail. Strings of tree lights in attics or basements with mice can also lead to problems. These failures, unfortunately, can quickly turn into home fires.
Christy also warns that those in the holiday spirit should be cautious of using flammable decorations. Even the wrapping on presents already placed under the tree can pose a fire hazard if placed near an outlet — especially if it is over loaded.
A holiday display with candles can be beautiful as long as open flames are kept a safe distance from other materials such as draperies and fabrics.
Keeping your family safe during the holiday season should not be an accident. Inspect the wires on your holiday decorations, limit the number of cords plugged into each outlet, keep your tree watered and pay close attention to heat sources such as candles, heaters and stoves.