12 days of Christmas fire safety

12/2/2021 (Permalink)

With the lights around the Christmas tree twinkling, the candles burning bright, and the glow of the warm fireplace, your home is never quite as cozy as it is during Christmastime. It can feel downright magical this time of year. However, while your home may look prettier than ever during the holidays, those warm and fuzzy additions also bring an increased risk of fire to your humble abode. But with these expert-backed Christmas fire safety tips from former firefighters and other safety professionals, you can still make your home festive, while also keeping it safe this holiday season.

Don't use your oven for storage or heat.

Though many people place their cookie sheets and other bakeware in their ovens when they're not using them, it's never a good idea to use the appliance as storage space. Fire Department’s explicitly warns against it, noting that something flammable could accidentally be left behind and cause an oven fire.

Also, even when it gets extra cold this Christmas season, think twice before using your oven or stove as way to provide some extra heat to your home. Chuck Roydhouse, a retired professional firefighter, says that although this is not uncommon for people to do, ovens and stoves are not specifically set up for heating purposes, so it is unsafe to use them as such.

Water your Christmas tree if its real.

The quickest way to accidentally make your tree go up in flames. Let it go unwatered. Harry Knowles, home safety expert with My Handyman Services, warns homeowners with real Christmas trees to frequently check that their trees don't have "any tinder-dry areas." Just one spark anywhere near dry wood can start a fire in a mere 30 seconds, he says.

Don't throw wrapping paper in your fireplace.

It's easy to get caught up in the joy and excitement that comes with unwrapping new goodies on Christmas but be sure to monitor exactly where all that ripped wrapping paper is going—and definitely don't dispose of it by throwing it in the fireplace.

"On Christmas morning, don't make the mistake of throwing the wrapping paper from the gifts in the fireplace," says Roydhouse. "Wrapping paper creates way too much heat, and it's quite easy to have a chimney fire that way. It puts too much heat in the chimney, and if you have any combustibles in there, that heat will ignite it."

Follow the "rule of three" when it comes to power strips.

With Christmas lights, space heaters, and all the electronics of everyday life, there's a lot to be plugged in during the holiday season. And with electrical fires being a real concern, you need to follow the proper precautions. The experts at Mr. Electric, a residential electrical service throughout Canada and the U.S., recommend following the "rule of three" when it comes to power strips, meaning no more than three electronics should be plugged into a single strip at one time.

Never use an extension cord or power strip with your space heater.

When it comes to space heaters and extension cords, the two should never meet. "When you buy a space heater, it will come with a certain length of cord, and you never want to extend that by using an extension cord," says Roydhouse. "When you extend the cord length, you overload the cord, and it gets hot. As a result, it can burn through a rug or the insulation and set something on fire or create an electrical shock. And you never want to plug a space heater into any type of multi-socket power strip—you want to plug it directly into the wall."

Make sure your home is equipped with functioning smoke alarms.

Having a working smoke detector in your home can mean the difference between life or death when it comes to a holiday home fire. The experts at First Alert note that "smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, inside every bedroom, and outside sleeping area." They also recommend you "test alarms every month and change batteries every six months."

Information provided by

17 Christmas Fire Safety Tips from Firefighters and Other Safety Experts (bestlifeonline.com)

mrelectric.com