Hot Tips with Japanese Dictionary

Fire safety advice that just might save your life

Strings of lights are flashing merrily. Holiday candles are flickering softly. The Christmas tree is shining, and the fireplace is aglow. Boxes and wrapping paper are everywhere!

Ho, ho, ho—what a happy scene. And uh-oh, what a fire hazard!

Look closer. The strings of lights are old and some of the wires are frayed. The electrical outlets on the wall behind the tree are overloaded. Tangled wires run under the carpet. The candles are burning low. The tree is dry and standing too close to the fireplace. Papers and boxes are scattered carelessly near the fire.

The holiday season is a time to be extra careful about fire safety. Fires during this time of year cause more than $930 million in damage and more than 500 deaths. Each year, Christmas trees cause about 400 fires. Those fires lead to an average of 10 deaths, 80 injuries, and more than $15 million in property damage. Most tree fires occur at the end of the holiday season. The longer a cut tree stands, the drier it gets. And a dry tree is like a match ready to ignite.

Candles cause even more fires than Christmas trees do—about 1,600 fires each winter holiday season. Those fires lead to about 10 deaths, 115 injuries, and $20 million in property damage.

Did You Know?

• More than 40 percent of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems with lighting.
• About 25 percent of tree fires are caused by a heat source that is close to a tree.
• Candles caused 8 percent of the Christmas tree fires between 1999 and 2002.
• Children playing with lighters or matches cause about 7 percent of tree fires each year.

Don’t let your holiday go up in smoke.

Here are some fire safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

• Keep natural tree stands full of water.
• Don’t overload electrical outlets or connect more than three strands of lights together.
• Don’t use worn strands of lights or other damaged electrical decorations.
• Use nonflammable decorations.
• Don’t leave candles or decorative lights unattended.
• Don’t burn wrapping paper or Christmas trees in fireplaces.
• Make sure your smoke detector has working batteries.