Fire Safety Tips of Halloween

10/28/2021 (Permalink)

Halloween Fires

For Halloween in particular, decorations usually consist of candles as well as dried cornstalks and hay bales, costumes with trailing fabric, and other paper decorations that can easily catch fire if they come into contact with the flame from a candle or jack-o’-lantern.  Many of the fires recorded by the National Fire Protection Association during these years were caused by flammable decorations that were too close to a candle or another heat source.

Halloween Fire Safety Tips

While these statistics may be frightening, they should not discourage you from celebrating Halloween with your favorite costumes and decorations.  Like most causes of house fires, many of the holiday decoration related fires are easily prevented.  The following fire safety tips will help you prevent fires from decorations so that you and your family can have a festive and enjoyable Halloween.

• Make sure all potentially flammable decorations are far away from open flames, fireplaces or candles as well as other heat sources such as space heaters and light bulbs. Every exit in your home should be clear in case a fire does occur.
• Using a battery operated candle or glow stick for jack-o’-lanterns is a safe alternative but if you choose to use real candles, light them carefully with long fireplace matches or a utility lighter to avoid tipping the pumpkin. If there are children present around lit candles, they should be closely supervised.  Jack-o’-lanterns with real candles should be away from other potentially flammable materials and away from walkways used by trick-or-treaters.
• Avoid using candles or torch lights to decorate your yard or sidewalk and instead use flashlights. Decorations with an open flame can be hazardous as trick-or-treaters may brush against the flame with their costumes.
• Try and avoid costumes that include long trailing or billowing fabric. If your child’s costume includes a mask, cut the eye holes big enough so that your child can see where he is walking to avoid falls or brushing against a candle or open flame.
• Make sure your children understand the fire risks of candles and open flames and that they must avoid contact with these objects. It is a good idea to give them flashlights or glow sticks to use for lighting as they are trick-or-treating.

Halloween is a popular, festive holiday with many time honored traditions but the most common Halloween decorations have the potential to cause house fires.  With these simple fire safety tips, you can help prevent fires caused by Halloween decorations for a safe holiday.

If your home is damaged by fire due to a mishap with your Halloween decorations, make sure that everyone around is safe to begin with. Contact the professionals here at SERVPRO of Oldham/Shelby County today to speak with a Mitigation specialists. 502.241.6861