Over the holidays, the way we decorate and use heating sources can easily cause a fire if we’re not careful. Fire safety officials want us to remember a few things in order to keep us safe.
Members of the Manlius Fire Department said cooking continues to be the number one cause of a fire, but how we decorate and use heating sources are also to blame for reported incidents.
Statistics show one in every five Christmas tree fires are caused by a heat source too close to a tree. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the tree is at least three feet away from heat sources like space heaters and fire places.
It’s also important to plug in heating sources like those space heaters directly into the wall rather than a power strip.
“A lot of folks will take space heaters and plug them into extension cords, or they’ll put them into a power strip, and that’s an absolute recipe for a fire to occur. You’ve got to make sure the space heaters go into their own wall outlet with no extension cords,” said Manlius Fire Community Risk Reduction Officer Lieutenant Chris Halliday.
Halliday said candles can also be another fire hazard in the home this time of year. According to the National Fire Protection Association, half of home decoration fires are started by candles and having items to close to the flame. Using battery operated flameless candles may be a better option for you.
