Watch out for these two major home fire risks this holiday season.
The holidays are all about family, fun, and togetherness; the last thing that you want is a devastating house fire ruining the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, your home’s fire risk is elevated during the holidays. To ensure that you protect your home and loved ones, safeguard against these major home fire risks this holiday season.
- Decorating Fire Risks
When decorating your home, it’s important that you keep fire safety in mind. For instance, you should avoid using real candles to decorate your home. The live flame could easily set fire to nearby decorations, carpeting, curtains, furniture, and other flammable items, which could then spread to the rest of your home. Rather than taking this risk, you should use electronic candles or other flameless alternatives.
Using lights to decorate your home also increases your fire risk. One way to reduce your risk is by discarding any decorative lights that are damaged. For instance, do not use any lights with broken bulbs, exposed wires, or frayed cords. Additionally, if you are using lights to decorate the outside of your home, make sure you are using lights specifically designed for outdoor use. Indoor lights are less resistant to the elements, and exposure to water and cold temperatures could cause them to malfunction and spark a fire.
- Cooking Fire Risks
Food is an essential part of the holidays. This means that you will probably spend more time cooking during this season. To prevent a major cooking fire from breaking out, it’s important that you do not leave your stove or oven unattended while they are in use. In your absence, your food could burn or bubble over, setting nearby items on fire. Monitoring your food will prevent this from happening. To further reduce your risk, you should remove flammable items from the areas surrounding your stove and oven. This includes things like paper products, potholders, wooden utensils, and so on. Finally, you should always keep a fire extinguisher within easy reach of your kitchen just in case you do experience a cooking fire emergency.
Take precautions against these major home fire risks this holiday season. Want another way to protect your home and loved ones over the holidays? Then make sure you have the right personal insurance protections in place. Contact the experts at Mike Leonard Insurance Agency for assistance with all your coverage needs. Our dedicated team is eager to find you the right coverage from one of our many carriers including: Kemper, MetLife, Nationwide, Travelers, The Hartford, Safeco Insurance, Progressive, and American Strategic Insurance.