Make fire safety part of your celebrations

More home fires happen on Christmas than any other day except Thanksgiving. Fire officials are urging people to make fire safety part of their celebrations this holiday season. “Start by making sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms,” said State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. “Fires are always terrible, but they seem worse during the festive holiday season.”Coan said cooking is the leading cause of fires in the home, and it is important to remember two key things: stand by your pan to prevent cooking fires and to put a lid on it if one does occur. “Leaving cooking unattended, even for a minute, is the leading cause of fires,” said Coan, “Cooking is the leading cause of home fires throughout the year, and caused two-thirds of all the residential fires last holiday season.”Heating is the second-leading cause of home fires during the holiday season. “Keep warm and keep safe by having the furnace and chimney checked by professionals, and when heating with wood, dispose of the ashes in a lidded metal ashcan outside the home,” Coan said. “A single ember can stay hot undetected for days.”Christmas tree safety tipsAlthough Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious. 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 caused roughly one in every six. There were two Christmas tree fires in Massachusetts last year.For more information on fire safety, contact your local fire department or the office of the State Fire Marshal at 1-877-9 NO FIRE or online at www.state.ma.us/dfs and look for Fire Safety Topics.