10 ways to minimise the Christmas fire risk in your home

With shorter days and longer nights, festive cheer and scented candles, at Christmas, we have more naked flames in the home and tend to consume more alcohol. This can be a recipe for disaster in itself, but we also spend more time in the kitchen too, cooking with hot oils and naked flames more often, and with more distractions than usual. With these additional Christmas fire risks, it’s important to do what you can to ensure your home and family is safe. Here are 10 top tips to ensuring your home is safe this Christmas.

1. It may not help minimise the Christmas fire risk but it will boost your chances of survival in the event of a fire. Check your smoke detector. A quick and easy task, yet it can be the difference between life and death in the event of a fire.
2. At Christmas, it’s only fair that the chef gets a glass of wine whilst they’re cooking but keep anyone who’s had a few too many away from the kitchen. Alcohol reduces awareness and inhibits your reactions, increasing the risk of a kitchen fire.
3. Most fires start in the kitchen, so don’t leave cooking unattended.
4. Christmas decorations tend to be particularly flammable so avoid attaching them to lights or heaters.
5. A Christmas tree beside the fire may look pretty but keep your tree away from heat sources such as fires and heaters. As trees dry out, they can overheat and spread fire easily.
6. Never place candles near a Christmas tree.
7. Ensure your Christmas lights carry the British Safety Standard sign. Check your Christmas tree lights before you use them and turn them off at night and when you leave the house.
8. Always put out candles before you go to bed and, when you are awake, don’t leave candles unattended, even if they are in candle holders!
9. Turn off any external lights at bedtime too. Aside from helping minimise the Christmas fire risk, it’s also good for neighbourly relations.
10. Be careful not to overload electrical sockets.

Hopefully, following these 10 rules will keep you safe from the increased Christmas Fire Risk, however, if you do find yourself in need of fire restoration or fire damage repair services, call our 24/7 hotline on 01624 422 488. We’re open 365 days of the year, so you’ll be able to get help when you need it. Our knowledgeable teams will help you to deal with fire damage in your home quickly and as straight-forwardly as possible. With over 60 branches of Rainbow around the UK, we’re bound to have a branch near you.