Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

by Home Decoration
Six crucial tips to keep you, your family, and your home safe.

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Tree On Fire

KENNEWICK, Wash. — December, January, and February are the most dangerous months for home fires as they occur more in winter than any other season, according to a Facebook post from the Walla Walla Fire Department. The U.S. Fire Administration said that cooking is the leading cause all year round, but during the winter season holiday decorations are also to blame. 

Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In December, candles were also the cause of 45{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of home decoration fires. (NFPA).

RELATED: Send in your Holiday Decorations for a chance to appear on KAPP KVEW

Here are the top 6 tips to follow to keep you, your family, and your home safe this holiday while enjoying your decorations. 

  1. Add water to your live tree daily (FEMA). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said a dried-out Christmas tree could simultaneously ignite in a flashover in less than one minute compared to a well-watered tree that burns much slower.
  2. Make sure your tree is at least three feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, vents, space heaters, etc.. (FEMA).
  3. Keep Candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns (FEMA) or use battery-operated flameless candles. The NFPA said, that three out of every five candle fires started because the flame was too close to a flammable object like furniture, bedding, curtains, or other decor.
  4. Replace any lights or string of lights that are worn down, broken, or loose (NFPA). It’s always important to read the manufacturer’s instructions and check the maximum wattage, especially when connecting multiple strings of lights together or in an extension cord. A good rule of thumb from the CPSC is, “do not use more than three three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.”
  5. Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed (American Red Cross).
  6. Don’t light the fireplace if you have stockings or decorations hanging on the mantel. (American Red Cross).

“Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in almost half of home Christmas tree fires.” –NFPA

Consumer Product Safety Commission also recommends that the holidays are a good time to review an emergency plan with your family if there is a fire in your home. Don’t forget to double-check all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as well. It’s always a good reminder for parents to keep lighters, candles, matches, breakable decorations, or any potential dangerous decorations away from children and pets. For additional holiday safety tips visit, click here.

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National Fire Protection Association urges added caution to avoid fire tragedy during holiday season

National Fire Protection Association urges added caution to avoid fire tragedy during holiday season

by Home Decoration

Many hallmarks of the holiday season, including Christmas trees, holiday decorations, cooking and baking, present potential fire hazards that contribute to an annual increase in U.S. home fires during the winter months. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are among the leading days of the year for home fires (topped only by Thanksgiving Day).

“December is a leading month for home fires, in large part because many of the activities we engage in during the holiday season reflect leading causes of home fires year-round,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy.

Fortunately, Carli notes, the majority of winter fires can be prevented with a little added awareness and planning.

“By knowing where potential fire hazards exist and taking some basic safety precautions to prevent them, people can enjoy a festive, fire-free holiday season,” said Carli.

The NFPA Winter Holidays page offers a wide variety of tips and resources to reduce the risk of fires, while the latest NFPA statistics underscore the increased risk of fire during the holiday season:

National Fire Protection Association urges added caution to avoid fire tragedy during holiday season

(NKyTribune file)

Christmas Trees

• An estimated average of 160 home fires that began when Christmas trees caught fire caused an average of two civilian deaths, 12 civilian injuries, and $10 million in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.

• Some type of electrical distribution or lighting equipment, including decorative lights, was involved in almost half of these fires. Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights.

• Eight percent of Christmas tree fires were started by candles.

• In nearly one-fifth of Christmas tree fires, the tree was too close to a heat source, such as candle or heating or lighting equipment.

Decorations

• An estimated average of 790 home fires that began when decorations (other than Christmas trees) caught fire caused an average of one civilian death, 26 civilian injuries and $13 million in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.

• One in five home decoration fires occurred in December.

• Year-round, 35 percent of home decoration fires began with candles; in December, the number jumped to 45 percent.

• In more than two of every five fires (44 percent) involving decorations, the decoration was too close to a heat source such as a candle, cooking or heating equipment.

Candles

• An estimated average of 7,400 home fires (2 percent) started by candles caused an average of 90 civilian deaths (three percent), 670 civilian injuries (six percent), and $291 million (four percent) in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.

• Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months.

• In three of every five candle fires, the candle was too close to something that could catch fire.

• Christmas is the peak day for candle fires with roughly 2.5 times the daily average; Christmas Eve ranked second.

• Falling asleep was a factor in 10 percent of the home candle fires and 12 percent of the associated deaths.

Cooking

• Cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires (49 percent) and home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

Fires caused by heating equipment, the second-leading cause of U.S. home fires year-round, peak during the winter months, when temperatures drop and more people use heating equipment to keep their homes warm. Put a Freeze on Winter Fires, an annual NFPA campaign with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), works to better educate the public about ways to stay safe during the colder months, offering tip sheets and other resources to help reduce the risk of heating fires and other winter hazards.

National Fire Protection Association

Holiday symbols rooted in nature | Home And Garden

Holiday symbols rooted in nature | Home And Garden

by Home And Garden

In the rush to cross everyone off our holiday gift lists and to select the most suitable decorations to create the perfect ambience within our homes, we may overlook the importance of the plants that make this time of year so cheerful. Let us look at three such winter-themed plants to see how they each contribute to the long-standing custom of using live greenery indoors.

Christmas Tree

Germany is credited with decorating trees as far back as the 16th century and later, bringing the tradition to Pennsylvania when they immigrated. It wasn’t until the early 20th century, however, that this custom of bringing living trees inside and adorning them with colorful ornaments and garlands of beads or popcorn, became a trend in the United States.

Early Christmas trees in this country were said to have been extreme fire hazards. Before electricity, candles were used to add light to the family tree.

Needless to say, many trees caught fire, as a result of many lit candles being left unattended overnight. Lack of regular watering was also caused the increase of Christmas tree-related fires.

Over time, this vital fact has not changed. Whether the chosen evergreen is a fir, pine, spruce or cedar, regular and sufficient watering is of the utmost importance to ensure the tree does not dry out.

Poinsettia

Apart from the Christmas tree, the poinsettia is the plant that most people associate with the holiday season. In 2020, more than 2 million poinsettia plants were sold. Thus, it became the most popular potted flower crop in the United States.

Native to Mexico and Central America, the poinsettia has primarily evolved into a symbol of Christmas because the shape of its colorful flowers is thought to resemble the Star of Bethlehem.

Poinsettias were first introduced to the United States by, and eventually named for, Joel Roberts Poinsett. Appointed by President John Quincy Adams, Poinsett was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico.

Mesmerized by the plant’s unique beauty and wide variety of colors, avid gardener Poinsett brought numerous poinsettia cuttings back to his greenhouse in Charleston, South Carolina. For 150 years, to honor the anniversary of Poinsett’s death, Dec. 12 has been considered National Poinsettia Day. It was made official by an Act of Congress in 2002.

Holly and Ivy

In pre-Christian times, holly and ivy were originally used during the celebration of the Winter Solstice Festival. During these times, it was believed that holly and ivy together, could not only ward off evil spirits, but also the pair was thought to represent new growth.

Today, unlike many European countries, the tradition of using holly and ivy to decorate inside the home is not as popular in the United States.

However, all over the world, where Christianity is practiced, holly and ivy continue to take on special meanings.

Holly’s prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns worn by Jesus at his crucifixion. Its poisonous red berries represent the drops of blood the thorns caused Jesus to shed.

Ivy needs something to attach to in order to support itself as it grows. In Christianity, this concept reminds us of the importance of looking to God for guidance and support in our lives.

Whether you have already decked out your home for the holiday season, or you still have that yet to do, I hope this article leaves you with a better knowledge and appreciation of how some of the most recognized and cherished traditions came to be celebrated as they are today.

Happy holidays.

Source: “Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac”; “Early Christmas”; ”Ho, Ho, Ho!: The Complete Book of Christmas Words”; almanac.com/poinsettia-christmas-story; davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2731; flowerkingdom.com/blog/the-symbolic-significance-of-holly; history.com/.amp/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees; whychristmas.com/customs/poinsettia.shtml

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

State Fire Marshal issues tips for fire safety during holiday season

State Fire Marshal issues tips for fire safety during holiday season

by Home Decoration

The National Fire Protection Association reports that more than two of every five home decoration fires occur due to decorations being placed too close to a heat source. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles.

The NFPA also reports that U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 780 home structure fires per year that began with decorations between 2013-2017.

More than half of home decoration fires in December are started by candles. Candle fires peak in December followed closely by January. The top three days for home candle fires are Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Before you head to bed or out for the evening, make sure to extinguish all lit candles, the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal wrote in a press release.

“The holidays are here and that means many will be decorating their homes. Hanging up decorations is fun, but keep in mind, holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire,” Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez said in a statement. “It’s important to follow and practice fire safety measures so that you and your family can enjoy a festive and fire-safe holiday season.”

This year, OSFM will once again be hosting the Keep the Wreath Red Campaign at offices in Springfield and Chicago, along with at the Quinn Fire Academy in Chicago and the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of fire safety during the holiday season (Dec. 1 through Jan. 2). Unfortunately, OSFM wrote, last year 17 lives were lost in fire-related incidents during the holiday season in Illinois.

The “Keep the Wreath Red” campaign began in 1954 in Naperville to raise awareness about holiday fire safety. Wreaths will be placed and lit with red bulbs outside of the OSFM offices in Springfield and at the Thompson Center in Chicago. White light bulbs will replace the red bulbs when a fire-related death is reported in the state.


“The goal of the campaign is to strive for zero fire-related deaths during the holiday season,” Perez said.

With that in mind, here are some tips to stay fire safe when celebrating the holiday season:

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Make sure decorations are either flame retardant or flame resistant. 
• Keep lit candles at least 12 inches away from decorations or anything that can catch fire. 
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Extinguish all lit candles before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Check to make sure your lights are rated for indoor or outdoor use or both. 
• Replace any light strands that have worn or broken cords. Make sure to read the recommendation for the number of light strings you can string together. 
• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
• If you have a real Christmas tree, make sure to check water levels daily! It is not unusual for a tree to drink two gallons of water the first day it is in the stand. 
• Keep real Christmas trees away from a heat source. It can dry out the tree quickly. 

Make sure also to clean your oven after Thanksgiving before preparing the next holiday meal. In case of an oven fire, turn off the oven and keep the door closed until it is cool. Clean cooktops often as left-over grease can catch fire. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, but Christmas and Christmas Eve follow closely behind, OSFM wrote.

If you are planning to host family and friends during the holidays, make sure they are aware of your fire escape plan. Show them where all the exits are in your home and make sure they are aware of a meeting spot location in case of fire. Illinois residents should continue following the COVID-19 prevention protocols from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HOME & GARDEN: DIY terrariums make great holiday gifts | Home & Garden

HOME & GARDEN: DIY terrariums make great holiday gifts | Home & Garden

by Home And Garden

A century-old trend of bringing nature inside during the winter, terrarium gardening has had a revival gardeners as of late and would make an excellent gift for the holidays.

The invention of terrariums is attributed to English Botanist, Dr. Nathanial Ward. He used a closed bottle filled with tiny ferns and grasses growing in soil in order to observe a hummingbird moth chrysalis. Once the moth emerged, he continued to watch how the ferns and grasses continued to grow for four years, during which time he never opened the bottle to add water.

Although most gardeners today are building an open system, without a lid, requiring some water but not as much as a normal houseplant. These open system ecosystems provide for ample creativity by building a mini landscape but also require minimal care.

Any transparent container can be used as a terrarium. Glass and plastic are the two most common mediums. Besides bottles, commonly used items are fish bowls, fish tanks, jugs, jars, or light bulbs.

Terrarium Supplies: Open glass container, soilless media (not the stuff in the backyard, but the stuff you buy in a bag), 2-3 small succulent or tropical plants, ornamental knick-knacks or trinkets.

  1. Fill soil at least ¼ the depth of the container or as deep as the root balls of the plants you have chosen.
  2. Add either all succulents, or all tropical—do not mix and match as each have different light, temperature, and moisture needs! You might need skewers, pipe cleaners, and long-handled tweezers depending on the size of the container’s opening. When placing plants, don’t let the foliage touch the sides of the container and wipe any debris off plants with a clean paintbrush.  
  3. Water with a mister or add small amounts of water at a time with a spoon. In the beginning, the roots are small and the entire media does not need to be saturated.
  4. Add whimsy! Reflect your gift-recipients interests with fun or meaningful trinkets placed among the plants. Clean any figures, toys, glass, pebbles, or ceramic structures with an alcohol or 10{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} bleach solution and allow them to dry. Dried flowers or wood may also add to the story.
Show off your holiday spirit with decoration contest | Community

Show off your holiday spirit with decoration contest | Community

by Home Decoration

Do you get into the holiday spirit and go all out decorating your house?

If so, and you live in the city of Long Lake, why not try to win a prize for your holiday spirit?

The city of Long Lake is having a Long Lake Christmas Home Decorating Contest for residents. The event was last held in 2018.

The Long Lake Garden Club and City of Long Lake are sponsoring the event and the deadline for submitting entries is Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. To enter (City of Long Lake residents only), and for contest rules, go to the city’s website at longlakemn.gov and click on the links for the Long Lake Christmas Home Decorating Contest. You can either fill out an entry online or print out a form and return to the city by the deadline.

“This is a great event to encourage residents to decorate the exterior of their homes for the holidays,” Long Lake Mayor Charlie Miner said. “Having holiday lighting and decorations displayed on homes in our city only adds to our small town charm. The lighting and decorations on homes also compliments our downtown area, which is nicely decorated with holiday flags and garland on our light poles.”

All entrants must live in the city of Long Lake and homes will be judged based upon curbside appeal only. Judges will not be entering the property.

Judging will be on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 16, so please be sure to turn lights on as soon as its dark.

Winners will be notified by phone on Saturday, Dec. 18, and there will be prizes for the first place winners in each category. The categories are: Nostalgic – Old fashioned, reminds you of your childhood; Clark Griswald – Excessive use of outdoor lighting, funny elements; Window Displays – Indoor displays visible from the street you live on; and Charlie Brown – Decorations on a dog house, tool shed, barn … anything but your home.

Will the city provide a list of entries if people want to check the holiday decorations out?

“No, but winners will be published on our social media as mentioned in the contest rules, and we encourage everyone to drive around Long Lake and enjoy some wonderful holiday light displays,” Miner said.

Once winners have been notified, prizes will be delivered to the winning residences.

Long Lake businesses – Birch’s on the Lake and Lakeside Wine and Spirits – are sponsoring the contest prizes.

If you live in Orono or Medina but have a Long Lake zip code, you are not a City of Long Lake resident and are not be eligible to enter.