With extra decorations around many houses, the holiday season is a perfect time to take special care when it comes to fire safety.
December is the peak time for chances of candle fires, and trees should be watered daily to reduce the rate at which they dry out and become more flammable, according to Chris Switala, the new Joint Chief of the Butler City and Butler Township fire departments.
“Throw away any strands of lights that might have frayed or pinched wires,” Switala said in an interview on WISR. “It’s probably just better to replace it because as you are constantly wrapping them up and unwrapping them, there’s potential for breakage of the insulation around those wires and that can eventually then lead to problems.”
An important part of any safety plan is functioning detectors, but fire is not the only threat at this time of year.
“When you’re using any type of heater that uses an alternative fuel, particularly kerosene, you have to be careful of carbon monoxide because if they’re not used very frequently, they’re not burning efficiently, so you definitely want to make sure that you have adequate ventilation and that you have a carbon monoxide alarm,” he said.
People should also have chimneys professionally cleaned and heaters professionally serviced in order to reduce the chances of a fire.
- Christmas trees: Christmas tree fires are not common, but when they do occur, they’re much more likely to be deadly than most other fires. One of every 45 reported home Christmas tree fires results in a death, compared to an annual average of one death per 139 reported home fires.
- Candles: December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. In 2016, the top three days for candle fires were Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. More than half (56 percent) of the December home decoration fires were started by candles, compared to one-third (31 percent) the remainder of the year.
- Holiday decorations: Between 2012 and 2016, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 800 home fires per year that began with decorations (excluding Christmas trees). These fires caused an annual average of two civilian deaths, 34 civilian injuries and $11 million in direct property damage. One-fifth (19 percent) of these home decoration fires occurred in December. One-fifth (21 percent) of decoration fires started in the kitchen; 15 percent started in the living room, family room or den.
- Holiday cooking: While cooking fires are the leading cause of U.S. home fires and injuries year-round, Christmas Day ranked as the second-leading day for home cooking fires in 2016 (behind Thanksgiving Day.) On Christmas Day in 2016, there was a 73 percent increase in the number of home cooking fires as compared to an average day.
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