How to Avoid Fire Hazards This Holiday Season

December 11, 2017

Nothing can ruin a holiday party like a fire. Suddenly the speakers are drowned out by the sound of sirens, the snack table is burned, and the presents are covered in fire extinguisher foam.

Fires are extremely likely to occur in the holiday season for multiple reasons. Why is this, and how can we prevent it?

Cooking Accidents

During the holiday season, there is typically a lot going on. However, when you are cooking, you have to be focused on what you’re doing. Way too often people get distracted during the holidays and forget they have food in the oven. Some people even leave the house to run to the store for a last minute detail and leave food on the stove. Be sure that if you have any item on a stove or in the oven, it remains your priority. Many find it helpful to set alarms to remind them when to take a pan off of the heat or the cookies out of the oven.

Improper Decorations

Believe it or not, different decorations are designed for different areas. Be sure that before you hang a strand of lights on your house, you verify that they are designed to be outdoors. Outdoor lights are designed to withstand more weather. Indoor lights, however, could result in electric shock and fire hazards in certain types of weather.

Also, be sure to verify lights are designed to be hung indoors before you hang them on your fireplace. As mentioned before, outdoor lights are designed to get hotter and withstand more weather. This could be a fire hazard if hung inside around cloth and home décor.

Overloaded Outlets

With all the electronic decorations that make an appearance during the holiday season, we tend to run out of wall outlets to plug it all in. Because of this, it is not uncommon to overload one outlet with way too many lights. You should never add more than one power strip to an outlet. If you plug a power strip into another power strip, the outlet may get overloaded and create a fire hazard.

Christmas Tree Troubles

Picking out the right Christmas tree is important for more than just aesthetics. A sickly tree could be a fire hazard. Be sure that before you choose your tree, you check that the tree’s needles are well watered. You can test this just by bending the needles with your fingers. If the needles break, it is likely that the tree is too dry, and this can be a fire hazard when you add warm lights to the tree.

It is important that even once you get the tree home, you maintain the moisture. Buy a tree stand that can hold up to a gallon of water and be sure to water your tree daily. If you prefer an artificial tree, then the only necessary precaution in this area is to make sure the tree is flame retardant.

Help from an Indiana Personal Injury Lawyer

No one wants to deal with fire hazards during the holidays, but unfortunately this is a hard truth. There are many instances like those above where you can help prevent the hazards. However, there are also instances where a company or manufacturer has a glitch in the product, and the hazard is out of your control. If you suffer a personal injury as a result of a fire that was out of your control, you could be entitled to compensation. Call Hensley Legal Group today for a free consultation or contact us online.