Holiday season peak time for home fires, burns
If you’re gearing up to deck the halls this weekend, be aware that those sparkling decoration that so enchant the little ones can also be a serious fire safety hazard.
Nearly 13,000 people visit the emergency room each year with such holiday decorating-related injuries as bruises and burns, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. December and January are the peak months for the overall number of home fires, deaths and injuries, the National Fire Safety Protection Association says.
Each year an average of 240 home fires start with Christmas trees and an additional 1,300 begin with various other seasonal decorations, such as candles. About one in 15 house fires started with a Christmas tree kills someone.
The National Fire Protection Association has tips for being fire-safe around the holidays, from caring for your Christmas tree to maintaining your lights, here. Tips on how to safely trim the tree with the “help” of little kids — hint: nix the metal ornament hooks and go with ribbons instead — are here.
Photo by Steve Byland
