Hidden Dangers Lurk in Holiday Trappings

The holiday season is a joyous time of the year – but that joy can quickly turn to sorrow when folks aren’t mindful of the hidden dangers lurking in Christmas trees, chimneys and turkey fryers.

Lt. Rick Szeles, public information officer with the , says one of the top holiday fire hazards he’s seen involves the overuse and overloading of extension cords and electrical outlets.

“The biggest problem this time of year is usually electrical, with people running extension cords and overloading outlets for Christmas trees, lights and decorations. It can be easily avoided by using power strips that have (circuit) breakers on them,” Szeles said.

Live Christmas trees, while beautiful, are themselves “a hazard. It’s basically just kindling in your house, when you think about it,” he said.

“All it takes is a tiny little spark to get that tree going. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a video of a tree catching fire, but it’s like a blow torch when it gets cooking. Once that starts, you have just literally seconds to get out of the house,” Szeles explained.

Fire spreads quickly

The firefighter provided to illustrate his point.

And how do Christmas trees catch fire? “It could be a bad set of lights. Maybe they’re old and the insulation on the wiring is cracked and it just shorts out,” he said.

And some people string too many strands of lights to each other. “Manufacturers make recommendations on how many sets you can connect together. Know those (recommendations) and make sure the lights are UL rated for safety,” Szeles said.

While fires crackling in a fireplace add to the season’s ambiance, they also could be leading up to a devastating chimney fire – another easily preventable hazard.

“Chimney fires typically start because people don’t have them cleaned and creosote builds up in the flue liner, then gets hot and starts to burn. You cannot put it out, but we can,” Szeles said. “If you burn a lot of wood or coal, it’s very important the chimney gets cleaned at least once a year.”

Chimneys can also be the culprit when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning.

“This is the time of year when squirrels and birds will build nests in chimneys if you don’t have a vermin screen on it. (The nest) can block the flue and all of the carbon monoxide that’s supposed to go up the flue and out instead comes into the house. It can kill people when they’re sleeping,” he explained.

Stay safe by taking precautions

One of the simplest ways people can protect themselves, their loved ones and their homes is by properly installing detectors for both smoke and carbon monoxide – and making sure the batteries are changed regularly.

Szeles also said this is the prime time of the year for injuries and fires caused by the improper use of turkey fryers. In fact, the global safety organization UL considers turkey fryers so dangerous it will not certify any of them with its trusted UL Mark.

“People need to make sure the turkey is completely thawed and that it’s cooked outdoors. A lot of folks will do it in a garage – and that’s still inside, as far as I’m concerned. A fryer used in a garage can catch the ceiling on fire, then spread to the house,” Szeles said.

How do turkey fryer fires start? By trying to cook a turkey that’s even partially frozen and not using the proper amount of oil for the size of bird being cooked.

“What happens is that when you take a frozen turkey and throw it in hot oil, it’s like a bomb. It’s like throwing water on a grease fire,” Szeles said. “Also, you’re supposed do a water displacement test to determine how much oil to use. Otherwise when you put the turkey in, hot oil will spill over and sometimes start fires that way, too.”

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