Be Vigilant In Preventing Fire Damage During The Holidays
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but sometimes people are so busy being concerned about the festiveness of the season that they don’t take enough precautions for preventing fire damage during the holidays. There are a number of different causes of fires during the holiday season. Candles, overloaded electrical circuits, lights on the Christmas tree, and cooking accidents.
I have learned that it is important to never leave candles unattended. It is much better to blow out a candle when you leave the room and relight it than to have to deal with a fire that has been started by a candle that has tipped over or been knocked over by a pet or a child. Although I love the look of candles as well as the scent of many of them, I am very careful to never light them without making sure I watch them.
There are so many beautiful decorations, and it is easy to find many that run on electricity that really make my home festive. However, simply using extension cords or surge protectors doesn’t mean that I am not overloading the circuits. Even if I don’t plug in so many items that my circuit trips, if I am pulling a lot of amps for a long time, the wires can overheat and can start a fire. With the Christmas tree, I usually plug my lights in sequence, like most other people do. However, if I plug too many lights in sequence, I am forcing those small cords that are designed to pull just a few amps to pull more than they can handle, which means that the wires may melt or even start a fire.
Another tip for preventing fire damage during the holidays is to be very careful with Christmas tree lights on a live tree. I know that if I haven’t kept the tree in water or if I have had it for too long, it can be susceptible to the heat from the lights and catch fire.
With so many wonderful treats and foods that are cooked for the holidays, it is no wonder that cooking fires are the number one culprit during the holidays. Taking sensible cooking precautions is a big step toward preventing fire damage during the holidays. If a fire starts, slide a pan lid over the flames when it is a grease or oil fire and turn off the heat. Baking soda is used for other types of food fires, but don’t use water. I always keep a kitchen fire extinguisher nearby when cooking.
