MILFORD, Conn — Story by James Allan and Azam Hostetler
Holiday cheer, or holiday fear?
Whether you’re busy untangling heaps of Christmas lights, plugging in many wires in an already strained outlet, or maintaining a live Christmas tree in your home after decorating it, fire safety is an important topic in the winter season.
The most important thing any time of the year is to make sure you have working smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors; wintertime poses a little more challenge because it’s cold out obviously houses are closed up, and we tend to have heating going a little more, as well as cooking more with the holidays coming up.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, electrical failure, malfunction and heat sources placed too close to trees led to more than half of the home Christmas tree fires from 2016 to 2020.
Christmas trees pose a big danger from a fire safety standpoint, it’s crucial to keep them as wet as you can and not dry. The dryer they are, the greater chance of a fire catching.
On top of Christmas trees, lights also present another problem. Outside it’s important to have GFI outlets, which protect you if the electricity does run away from your lights if they get wet.
Furthermore, it’s critical to make sure there’s no cuts or abrasions in any of your lights, as if they start to get old, issues can crop up.
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