Nothing is quite as devastating for homeowners as a fire. With its impact on your home’s structural integrity and its ability to destroy many of your most prized possessions, recovering from a house fire can be difficult and devastating. But, a fire during the holiday season can be even more devastating, leaving you displaced during a time of the year that is meant to be cheerful and joyous.
At Liberty Restoration, we’ve seen firsthand how impactful a fire during the holiday season can be, and we want to do all that we can to protect homeowners from this home disaster. If you want to keep your home safe from a fire during the holiday season, keep reading to learn some of our tips.
The Importance Of Fire Safety During The Holiday Season
In the United States, there are approximately 156,000 fires during the holiday season, with about 47,000 of them occurring in residential areas. But what can we attribute these fires to? During the holiday season, homes are decorated with hanging lights, garland, candles, and more. These decorations act as a wick and fuel for fires to spread throughout the home.
It is important to understand how your holiday decorations and behaviors can impact your likelihood of dealing with a fire during the holiday season. By learning proper fire safety, you can keep your home and loved ones safe and save yourself from the costly and drawn-out home repairs that accompany a house fire.
Christmas Tree Safety
Between 25 and 30 million people purchase a real Christmas tree for their home every year. While these trees often get people in the holiday spirit, they are also a major fire hazard if you aren’t careful. While your Christmas tree might not be the most common cause of a fire during the holiday season, it is still important to understand how you can prevent this from occurring in your home.
Before you even begin decorating the tree, take a good look at the lights you are going to drape over it. If there are any missing or broken bulbs, it is important that you replace them before hanging them. This protects you from fires sparking due to your lights. You should also double-check for any exposed wires or discoloration. If you notice this, it is best to replace your lights.
In addition to checking your lights, it is important to water your tree every day to prevent a fire during the holiday season. As your Christmas tree dries out, it becomes the perfect fuel source for a fire. Watering every day makes your tree more resistant to fires, keeping you and your loved ones safe.
Finally, before you decide on a place for your tree, it is best to ensure it is safely away from these heat sources if you want to avoid a fire during the holiday season. It is best to keep your tree a safe distance from any heat source, including space heaters and fireplaces. Not only can these heat sources dry out your tree more quickly, making it a more substantial fire hazard, but they may also be responsible for starting the fire. To be safe, keep your tree at least three feet away from any heat source.
Candle Safety
While you certainly aren’t only lighting candles in your home during the holiday season, there are often far more decorations that may cause a fire. Because of this, it is essential that you practice candle safety during the holiday season. To keep your home safe, ensure your candles are kept away from flammable drapes, decorations, books, or bedding.
By taking away the fuel source, your candle is less likely to accidentally spark a more serious fire. Next, it is important that you never leave a lit candle unattended. By staying within eyesight, you can catch the fire before it spreads to other parts of your home. If you are going to leave the room, make sure the candle is properly extinguished.
Finally, keep your candles out of the reach of children and pets. While they mean well, there is a chance that while running and playing, a child or pet may knock over a lit candle. This knocked-over candle can quickly turn into a more significant fire during the holiday season when decorations are more abundant. To keep your loved ones safe, keep your candles high up off the ground.
Cooking Safety
During the holiday season, we spend a great deal of time in the kitchen preparing meals to enjoy with our loved ones. While this might start off as an innocent activity, cooking can quickly lead to a fire during the holiday season if you aren’t careful. To avoid these fires, there are a few things you can do.
First, you should ensure all flammable materials, like oven mitts, paper towels, and food packaging, are kept away from open flames. Keeping them away from these open flames protects you from fueling an unintentional fire. Additionally, ensure all clothing is secure when reaching over these flames, as clothing may also catch fire.
Additionally, you should never leave cooking unattended. While your family may be enjoying quality time in another room, leaving cooking unattended may lead to spills and overflows that can result in a fire. If you want to enjoy family time while cooking, try setting out snacks on a nearby countertop or table that will draw the family into the kitchen.
Finally, it is best to avoid cooking if you are tired or have consumed alcohol. While you may think you are alert enough to cook, being overly tired or intoxicated slows reaction time. You might not react to a fire quickly enough, leading to much more substantial damage to your home.
Recover From A Fire During The Holiday Season With Liberty Restoration
Knowing proper fire safety is essential when trying to avoid a fire during the holiday season. Proper fire safety in your home may include double-checking the batteries in your home’s fire detector and keeping a fire extinguisher within reach in your kitchen and near open flames. Your family should also know how and where to safely evacuate in the event of a home fire.
If you’ve dealt with a fire during the holiday season, you likely want to begin the restoration process as quickly as possible. At Liberty Restoration, our team is prepared to help you through this incredibly difficult and emotional experience. With our years of experience, we work hard to restore your home to its former glory so you can continue enjoying this space with your loved ones for years to come.
If you have recently dealt with a fire during the holiday season and would like to schedule a restoration service with us, reach out to our team today.