Fire Damages in the Winter

10/17/2019 (Permalink)

Cooking 

• Never leave the kitchen or hot appliances unattended while cooking.
• Keep paper products, towels, potholders and other flammable materials away from the stove.
• Clean your stove and oven often to avoid grease build up.
• Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the stove while food is being prepared.

Candles 

• Be sure to extinguish all candles before heading to bed at night.
• Never leave the room with any candles burning.
• Candles should be placed at a minimum of three feet from combustible materials such as your Christmas tree and/or decorations, curtains, blankets, etc
• There are a variety of flameless scent options available on the market today, such as: wax warmers, oil diffusers and plug in air fresheners.

Smoking 

• The warmth of your home may be tempting to smoke in during cold weather, but avoid smoking indoors at all costs. Most deaths result from fires that started in living rooms, family rooms and dens or in bedrooms.
• Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches and other smoking materials away from children, either high out of reach or locked in a cabinet.
• Always use a sturdy, deep ashtray to put out smoking materials. Never discard your cigarette in vegetation such as plants, peat moss, mulch or anything else that can ignite easily.
• Before you toss butts and ashes, ensure they are completely out. Douse them with water or sand to be certain.

Electrical Lighting 

• Never use lit candles to decorate your tree.
• Replace any string of lights that has loose bulb connections, frayed wires or a worn appearance with a new strand. Read the manufacturers instructions for how many light strands you can connect. Overloading your outlet and/or power strip can be very dangerous.
•  Always turn Christmas lights off before you leave the house and before heading off to bed.

Dryers & Washing Machines 

• Clean lint filters every time you use the dryer.
• You should also have your dryer vent and ductwork professionally cleaned once a year.
• In the interim of those cleanings, frequently check your vents and ductwork to ensure nothing is getting backed up. Make sure someone is home and awake while the cycle is going.

Christmas Trees

• If using a real tree, be sure to choose one with fresh, green needles that don’t fall off when touched.Cut 2” off the trunk before you place it on the stand.  Add water to your tree daily to ensure the needles don’t dry out, real trees are extremely flammable when dry.

• As with other combustibles, keep your tree three feet away from any heat sources like radiators, fireplaces, heat vents, etc. Make sure your tree isn’t blocking an exit out of the home, like a hallway or door.