Tips to prevent house fires during the holidays

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

Warm fires are common. But be safe and vigilant!

The odds of facing a house fire is roughly 1 in 3000. With the holidays right around the corner, there will be an abundant amount of cooking and open flames to keep the house warm and cozy. We at SERVPRO of Cedar Mill have some wise advice for keeping safe, and decreasing those odds with these extra precautions:

Cooking

The leading cause for house fires is by cooking, or lack of attention while in session. It's easy to get distracted with kids and family while the pans are frying and oven is heating. Set timers and keep vigiliant about the location so you'll know when the food is ready. Always keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and functioning smoke detector. 

Candles

The incidence of candle fires is four times higher during December than during other months. According to the National Fire Protection Association, four of the five most dangerous days of the year for residential candle fires are Christmas/Christmas Eve and New Year’s/New Year’s Eve.

We highly recommend ensuring candles are blown out before leaving a residence, even if it's for a short period of time. It's the little sparks that can create a major blaze.

Christmas trees

It takes 30 seconds for a dry tree to go up in flames. No matter how watered the tree is, it'll take about 4 weeks for it to become dry regardless. Be sure to place the tree away from any heating source, such as space heaters and baseboard heaters. 

If you need any more advice or help with home restoration services, give us a call at (503) 619-6198!