Fire safety important during holiday season

Each year, fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage.

However, while that might be the case on a national scale, Luling Fire Chief Barry Minnich says that his precinct only sees a small rise in house fires during the holidays.

“We had seen a small increase in the past, but it’s mostly due to the space heaters and candles people use because of the cold weather,” Minnich said. “If they have to use floor space heaters, they need to make sure to keep the area open.”

Still, just because the parish doesn’t see a lot of holiday fires doesn’t mean they don’t occur. The No. 1 culprit of these types of fires is Christmas trees because of the amount of heat the lights that adorn the trees can give off. If the trees aren’t well-watered, they can catch fire and destroy an entire home.

“We encourage people to keep their tree watered and to use the proper interior lighting on the tree,” Minnich said. “You need to keep the tree good and wet and make sure there is always a full pan of water.”

In addition, the United States Fire Administration says that people should make sure not to place their tree close to a heat source, like a fireplace or heat vent. They also say that a live tree should not be placed up too early or kept up for longer than two weeks.

Another potential problem area is holiday lights. Those who choose to go this route need to inspect their outdoor lights for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up. Also, the USFA says that more than three light strands should never be linked together and that lights should be connected to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet.

“We don’t see many fires started because of outside lights,” Minnich said. “Most of the time, if someone uses too many lights, it will just kill the breaker.”

All holiday decorations should also be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents. Also, Minnich says residents need to be careful when using their fireplace, since sparks or other fiery items can travel from the fireplace to carpet.

Finally, as in every season, Minnich says residents need to have working smoke and carbon dioxide alarms installed on every level of a home, they need to test them monthly and keep them clean and equipped with fresh batteries at all times.