While you are preparing for the holiday season, it is important to keep general safety in mind and more specifically fire safety. Statistical research done by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) shows that each year fires injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage during the holiday season.
Data provided by the National Fire Protection Association shows just how hazardous the holiday season can be in the case of fires. Christmas trees, for example, were the first items ignited in an estimated average of three hundred reported U.S. home structure fires per year in 2000-2004. The fires caused an average of fourteen civilian deaths, twenty-one civilian injuries, and $16.8 million in direct property damage each year. This statistical data includes both real and artificial trees.
The data shows that, on average, one in every twenty-two reported home Christmas tree fires resulted in a death and more than four out of every ten Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems or malfunctions. Almost one quarter of the Christmas tree fires are caused from a heat source that is placed too close to the Christmas tree. For example, fixed or portable space heaters were involved in six percent of these incidents. Another cause was from children playing with fire, which caused around six percent of the tree fires.
Something to be cautious of are holiday lights and other light decorations that have live voltage. These lights were involved in sixteen percent of the home Christmas tree structure fires. This is why it is very important to always check your lights each year to make sure they aren"t frayed, cracked, or broken. You should also be mindful of connecting too many strands of lights together. Always read the manufacturer"s guidelines before using the lights.
The previously mentioned statistics are based on fires that were started with Christmas trees and do not include fires starting with other items. It is very important to remember every holiday season that a small fire that spreads to a Christmas tree can very quickly and easily become a large, catastrophic fire. Be sure to keep your live Christmas tree properly watered each year to prevent it from being too flammable.