Top 8 Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Fire During the Holidays

11/20/2017 (Permalink)

Top Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Fire During the Holidays

While the holidays are usually full of joy and happiness in homes throughout Indiana, they, unfortunately, are also at a higher risk of home fires.

Fires in homes are most common during the holidays and can quickly put on damper on the holiday mood. But there are things that you can do to reduce the risk of a fire happening in your home and causing extensive damage. This season, follow these top tips for a safe and happy holidays:

1. Keep Your Christmas Tree Watered

   While Christmas tree fires are rare, they can cause extensive damage when they do. If you have a real Christmas tree, be sure to keep it watered the entire time. A dry Christmas tree can be engulfed in flames in less than a minute.

2. Don’t Leave Candles Burning Unattended

   Tis the season for candles of all kinds, all sizes, all fragrances. If you love the smell of a fragrant burning candle during the holiday season, always be sure to blow it out before leaving the room or going to sleep. Most candle fires happen in the bedroom where the homeowners fall asleep with a burning candle which ignites the curtains or bed sheets or burns downs and ignites the surface it was on. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Also, make sure the candle is far enough away from anything that can catch fire.

3. Check Holidays Lights for Broken Bulbs and Frayed Wires

   When hanging up the holiday lights, be sure to check the entire strand of lights for broken bulbs and frayed wires before hanging and turning them on. Older lights get much hotter than the newer LED lights, especially the larger ones, so be sure to keep them away from any flammable materials like fabrics or dry Christmas trees.

4. Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets

   With all the lights to hang, it’s easy to overload your electrical outlets. Most outside electrical outlets are ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets which will cut the power to the outlet if overloaded or there is an electrical short in the lights. If your lights are tripping the outlet, you may either have a frayed wire or a broken bulb or you are overloading the outlet with too many strands of lights. Overloading a non-GFCI outlet inside can lead to an electrical short and fire which is why it’s very important to never overload a single outlet with too many strands of lights.

5. Keep Pets Away from Holiday Lights and Trees

   If you have cats or dogs that like to climb and chew on things, be sure to keep an eye on them around your Christmas tree and holiday lights. An animal chewing on a wire or breaking a bulb could not only electrocute and kill your beloved pet but also cause a fire. If you do find them chewing on the wires or climbing through the tree, you might want to consider locking them in a safer room or training them not to mess with the tree or lights.

6. Deep Fry your Turkey with Extreme Care

   If you choose to deep fry your turkey this Thanksgiving or holiday season, do so with extreme care. Make sure the deep fryer is at least 10 feet away from your home and any structure. Make sure the deep fryer is on a flat surface where it won’t tip over easily. Have a fire extinguisher that is approved for grease fires nearby in case a fire does occur.

7. Never Leave Your Kitchen While Cooking

   Whether you’re baking cookies and holiday treats or preparing for a huge holiday dinner, your kitchen will probably be busy this holiday season. With so much happening in the kitchen during this festive time of the year, it should come as no surprise that kitchen fires are the most common house fire during the holidays. To reduce the risk of a kitchen fire, it’s always a good idea to have someone in the kitchen at all times when baking or cooking. Also, before you start cooking your big holiday meals be sure that you have a working fire extinguisher in your kitchen. When using your stove or cooktop, be sure that any flammable materials, like towels, are not near the hot surfaces.

8. Test Your Smoke Alarms

   Last but not least, walk test all of your smoke alarms. You want to be sure they are installed on every level of your home. It doesn’t hurt to install an extra one near your Christmas tree if one isn’t there. A smoke alarm can alert you quickly when a fire starts and can mean the difference between a little smoke damage and catastrophic damage.

If a Fire Should Occur, Call the Fire Damage Experts

While we hope this holiday season is a joyous occasion, if you should suffer a home fire or even suffer from smoke damage from a small kitchen fire, call SERVPRO of Indianapolis West immediately. The fire damage repair and restoration experts of SERVPRO of Indianapolis West have the expertise and equipment to quickly clean and restore your home as if nothing ever happened. You can contact them online or call them at 317-243-3149.