Every holiday season, Americans decorate their homes with lights, greenery, candles, and ornaments — and every holiday season, thousands of those homes catch fire as a result. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates approximately 14,700 holiday decorating-related emergency room-treated injuries every year, along with fires causing deaths, injuries, and millions in property damage. The same three mistakes account for most of these incidents.
The Three Mistakes That Cause Most Holiday Fires
Overloaded outlets and extension cords. Plugging multiple light strands and holiday decorations into a single outlet or power strip overloads the circuit. Extension cords used to add reach compound the problem. Electrical overloads generate heat, melt insulation, and start fires inside walls where they are invisible until the fire is significant.
Using indoor lights outdoors and outdoor lights indoors. Indoor and outdoor holiday light sets are rated differently. Outdoor lights are weather-resistant; indoor lights are not. Using indoor lights in wet or exposed conditions creates a shock and fire hazard. Using outdoor lights on a tree or in tight indoor spaces where they can contact flammable material can also cause problems.
Daisy-chaining extension cords. Connecting multiple extension cords end-to-end to extend reach exceeds the rated capacity of each cord and creates a significant fire hazard. Never plug one extension cord into another.
Holiday Decorating Safety Rules
- Inspect every string of lights before use, whether new or stored from a prior season. Look for frayed wires, cracked or broken sockets, and loose connections. Discard damaged sets.
- Only use lights certified by a recognized testing laboratory such as UL or ETL.
- Use only outdoor-rated lights for exterior decoration.
- Never run more than three light sets end-to-end on a single strand.
- Turn off all holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house — every time.
- Keep decoration power cords out from under rugs and away from furniture where heat cannot dissipate.
- Use battery-operated candles and lights near trees, greenery, and flammable decorations.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, visit SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.
Source: https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Guides/Holidays/Holiday-Decorating-Safety
