Fire officials urge holiday safety

LYNN – Holidays are a time to be enjoyed with trees, candles and bright lights, but local fire officials urged residents to keep Christmas trees watered, candles doused before going to bed and never to leave space heaters unattended.?One in every 20 fires started by a space heater results in a fatality,” warned District Fire Chief Stephen Archer, referencing statistics prepared by the state Fire Marshal?s office.Christmas trees can spend upwards of a month in someone?s home and State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan, in a statement, said safe tips for setting up and caring for trees include setting up decorative trees away from doorways, heaters, fireplaces and other heat sources.Packaging boxes for decorative lights should be checked to make sure the box is marked with a “UL” or other safety standard designation. “According to the U.S. Fire Administration, one of every three home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems and a heat source too close to the tree cause roughly one in every six,” Coan noted in his statement.Archer said fires caused by portable heaters, candles and faulty decorative light strings and extension cords do not always become more frequent during the last weeks of the years, but he said firefighters frequently respond during the holidays to calls about Christmas tree fires and ones started by space heating.Archer said light strings and extension cords should be checked for frayed and exposed wiring. Lights should be turned off when no one is home or residents are asleep.?It really comes down to making sure candles, decorative lights and heaters are not left unattended,” he said.Fire Lt. Israel Gonzalez said firefighters have responded to house fires started by candles left lit after residents went to sleep. He said stoves and ovens should not be left unattended while they are on.?Unattended holiday cooking is our biggest concern,” he said.The Fire Department pushed, beginning in September, to ensure local homes are equipped with smoke detectors and launched an advertising campaign underscoring fire dangers. Gonzalez said 4,800 detectors have been installed in 1,100 local homes by firefighters with more scheduled to be installed before the year ends.?A smoke detector is going to wake you up. It?s one of the most important things you can have in your house,” Gonzalez said.