Prevent the Need for Fire Damage Restoration This Holiday Season

Cook With Caution

Did you know that the three top days for fires caused by cooking accidents in 2019 were Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day? Staying safe while cooking is serious business – burning the turkey is bad enough, but scorching your kitchen is much worse. It can be more dangerous than you may think to cook a holiday dinner – you have more dishes, more distractions, more people wandering in and out of the kitchen, and more chances to make a dangerous mistake.

Make sure that your oven and your cooking area are cleaned before you start cooking because built-up grease can lead to a grease fire. Somebody should always have eyes on the stove when it’s on, especially if you’re cooking with an open flame because a carelessly dropped hand towel or napkin can be enough to cause a fire. Be mindful of any small children running in and out of the kitchen – they could pull a hot pan off of a stove or be splattered by hot oil. You should also avoid cooking if you’re intoxicated or sleepy – if you’ve been up since 4 am basting a turkey, you may want to let someone else take a shift while you take a nap in the middle of the day. 

Use Care With Your Christmas Tree

Most people who celebrate Christmas view the Christmas tree as the centerpiece of their decorations. However, they can also pose a huge fire risk. If you use a real Christmas tree, it’s important to realize that it starts drying out as soon as it’s cut down, which may have been weeks before you purchased it. It continues to dry out after you take it home. That means that you don’t want it near open flames like candles or a fireplace, and you also want to make sure that the lights you put on it are on a cord that’s in good shape and not plugged into an overloaded outlet. The last thing you want is for your beautiful tree to become kindling.

Choosing to use an artificial tree isn’t necessarily safer. According to Underwriters Laboratories, pre-lit artificial trees can be just as much of a safety hazard as a natural tree. It’s a good idea to take the same precautions with your artificial tree as you would with a real tree.

Don’t Decorate Dangerously

Christmas trees are only one potential holiday hazard. There are others as well. If you’re stringing lights around the house, indoors or outdoors, always check the cords to make sure they’re not frayed or damaged, and never overload your outlets. The same thing applies to electronic decorations that light up, make noise, or move – any sign of electrical damage should prompt you to retire that decoration until it can be repaired or replaced.

Be careful about what you hang near the fireplace as well, if you’re also using it for fires. You may not really have to worry about Santa getting burned on his way down the chimney, but a random spark landing on a stocking hung over the fireplace can be enough to start a serious fire. Either make sure any decorations are well out of range of an active fire or use other heating sources for the holiday.

Stay Snug Without Scorching

Speaking of heating sources, it’s definitely important to stay warm during the winter holidays, but you need to be able to do it without starting a fire. If you’re using the fireplace to build fires, clean out the ashes from previous fires, make sure the area is well-ventilated, have your chimney checked annually by a chimney professional and clear any blockages right away, use well-aged dry wood, and install a safety screen to eliminate burn risks. Are you planning to bring out space heaters to warm up individual rooms? Check the cords for fraying or damage, plug the heater directly into an outlet – no extension cords – and make sure the heater is on a flat, level surface.

Even if you’re planning to rely on central heat to keep your home toasty over the holidays, you should have your HVAC system checked and cleaned out before entering the coldest part of the year. Make sure that you check and change filters and clean vents regularly as well. 

Conclusion

By reducing your fire risks over the holidays, you can focus on holiday cheer instead of worrying about fire damage restoration. Cooking, decorating, and home heating are all areas that require additional precautions over the winter holidays.

Source

• https://www.ul.com/news/underwriters-laboratories-sets-new-standard-artificial-holiday-tree-safety