24/7 Emergency Service
The Hazards of Holiday Decorations | SERVPRO® of Barron, Dunn & Rusk Counties
11/7/2022 (Permalink)
Have smoke or fire damage in your house? Contact us today to get cleaned up fast.
‘Tis the season for holiday gatherings, fresh cookies and pie, and family traditions! All of this and more are combined to make this time of year wonderful for so many reasons.
While this season may be your favorite, though, it also means an uptick in the amount of house fires that occur in the United States.
Holiday decorations are beautiful, but they come with their own risks! Most decorations are flammable, which is one of the reasons why about 790 structural fires occur every year due to decorations catching fire.
If you practice the tradition of hanging stockings over the mantel, make sure that the stockings don’t hang too low or too close to any flames. All it takes is one spark to start a house fire!
If your family always buys a real tree to decorate, ensure it is freshly cut and don’t forget to water it every day to prevent excess drying. Any lights strung on it should also be unplugged at the end of every night.
With the arrival of the holiday season also comes an increase in candle use! Who doesn’t love the cozy ambiance that candles bring? However, candles are responsible for 20 new home fires every day during this time.
Never leave a candle burning without supervision and keep them on a high table or shelf—away from small fingers and pets.
Having lights on your home or in your yard is also a great way to celebrate the season! Just make sure that the lights you use are tagged for outdoor use.
Using indoor-only lighting outside can be dangerous if the cords and bulbs are not able to withstand the elements. Hang them with the appropriate hooks, and avoid using a nail gun or piercing the wiring in any way.
Once you are all done decorating, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the season! Do one final check of your smoke detectors and replace any necessary batteries to ensure that they are working and ready to alert you to any flames.
We love this time of year in Wisconsin. We think the weather and the gently falling snow just adds to the magic. We hope that your holiday season is full of sight-seeing, memory-making, pageant-watching and hot cocoa-drinking! Rest easier knowing that you took precautions to prevent fires.
If you do end up suffering from some sort of fire damage, know that we are here for you at SERVPRO of Barron, Dunn & Rusk Counties. We are ready to respond to your call for help, and we will restore your home as fast as we can!