BOARDMAN Official offers fire safety advice for the holiday season

A warm house could lead to an overly dry Christmas tree, a fire official says.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- On a cold December evening in 1999, township firefighters were called to a home where a fire that started in the family room threatened to engulf the entire house.
Someone in the home plugged lights hanging from the family Christmas tree into an extension cord that ran behind a sofa sleeper and plugged into a wall outlet. The extension cord eventually caught fire, destroying the sofa, Christmas tree and every present neatly stacked under the tree.
Lt. Jim McCreary of the fire department said firefighters made it to the home before there was any further property damage or, more important, loss of life, but that is not always the case.
Holiday deaths, damage: He said holiday season fires cause an annual national average of about 250 injuries and 40 fatalities. Nationally, the fires also cause about $80 million in damage.
McCreary said neglect of Christmas trees, which are in one-third of all households, is responsible for the majority of the fires. From Dec. 24 through Dec. 26, national figures show deaths, injuries, and dollar loss increase an average of 50 percent, 61 percent and 43 percent, respectively.
McCreary said there are preventive steps that should be taken in the home to minimize the risk of holiday season fires.
Advice: He said all live Christmas trees should be cut at a 45-degree angle and continuously kept in water. The drier the tree becomes the more likely it is to catch fire, he added.
It also is important to pay attention to the temperature in the home, the fire official said. A natural reaction to winter's frigid weather is to turn up the thermostat, but a hot home can dry out a Christmas tree faster. The trees should also be kept away from any heat source, he added.
Once the season nears its end and the tree begins to die, McCreary said, it should be discarded as early as possible.
Those beautiful holiday decorations, such as electric lights, candles, banners and wreaths, are nice to look at, but firefighters say they can be potentially dangerous if not properly handled.
It is best to use only decorations that are nonflammable and lighting that is Underwriters Laboratory-approved. McCreary said all decorations, even new, should be inspected for frayed wiring or other defects and never left on unattended. Do not overload electrical outlets.
McCreary also said parents with younger children should pay close attention to the little ones around the holidays. Children playing with fire peaks in the days just before Christmas. He said many children, imitating their parents, also will attempt to light holiday candles and other decorations.
jgoodwin@vindy.com