A live Christmas tree is on fire during a Bargersville Community Fire Department Christmas safety training exercise in 2020.
Submitted Photo
The holiday season can be stressful, and this stress can be exacerbated by house fires.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are among the leading days of the year for home fires because many traditions — Christmas trees, decorations and family meals — present potential fire hazards, according to the National Fire Protection Association. There are few tips people can follow to reduce the chances of holiday fires though.
Kitchens often become very crowded during the holiday, and there can be lots of distractions when people are cooking. Not paying attention or having too many distractions or people can lead to fires, said Mike Pruitt, deputy chief for the Bargersville Fire Department.
“Keeping the kitchen under control, keeping it orderly, organized is going to be very, very important,” Pruitt said.
People should make sure to the number of people in the kitchen to the minimum when possible. They should also pay attention to make sure combustible items are not near open flames, he said.
“Don’t get distracted, leave something on the stove when you walk out of the kitchen because you may forget about it,” Pruitt said. “Next thing you know, you have a grease fire on the stove and now you have bigger problems.”
People who have live Christmas trees should make sure they’re in good condition. Live trees are supposed to be watered throughout the season to prevent them from drying out, he said.
“If we see lots of pine needles starting to fall out, we need to be starting to get concerned about its condition,” Pruitt said.
One of the most important things with live trees is to keep it away from open flames or high heat sources such as a space heater. This is where people tend to get into trouble, he said.
“Keep anything away that might be drying out that tree, or could catch that tree on fir,e because Christmas trees are — if you take good care of them — they’re really harder to burn,” Pruitt said.
If someone hasn’t taken care of the tree, however, it will burn fast if it catches on fire, he said.
People should also make sure to inspect all of their Christmas lights, and make sure everything is connected properly, Pruitt said.
“Don’t overload your electrical outlets with your Christmas lighting or any other appliances that you may add as we move through the Christmas season,” he said.
People should also not burn wrapping paper or gifts in the fireplace. Burning these materials creates creosote, which can build up in a chimney flue and cause a fire, Pruitt said.
If people have not had their flue inspected recently, this increases the chances of a fire even more. For example, if a flue has cracks in it, the heat or flame can escape into an attic space in a home and start a fire, he said.
Pruitt has seen this happen multiple times throughout his career, which is why he recommends people get their flues inspected and to only burn seasoned wood in fireplaces.
“That’s what it’s designed for. It’s not a trash disposal,” Pruitt said.
Having working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms is also important during the holiday season, Pruitt said.
When it gets cold, people tend to seal their homes up to prevent heat from escaping. However, if your heating source is not working properly, it could cause carbon monoxide to build up. This can be deadly, he said.
“It can turn into a deadly situation if we don’t have an alarm in there that will activate if something were to occur,” Pruitt said.
With increasing influenza and COVID-19 cases, Pruitt also encourages people to keep hand sanitizer around to stay healthy. People should also make sure to follow good hygiene practices to avoid getting sick, he said.
