Halloween is one of the year’s most beloved holidays. Dressing up, trick-or-treating, candy, parties, hayrides, and corn mazes make great, fun, and amazing childhood memories. However, this enjoyable celebration is also associated with increasing numbers of home fires.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), decorations were the first item ignited in an estimated average of 860 reported home structure fires every Halloween between 2009 and 2013. These fires resulted in an average of 13 million dollars in direct property damage per year. With these statistics, it’s important to keep fire safety in mind.
We only want tricks of the fun kind! With that in mind, ServiceMaster by Wright has compiled these Halloween safety tips for you.
Halloween Safety: Decorations
Use these tips to help prevent your Halloween decorations from catching fire:
Pumpkin Safety
A jack-o-lantern traditionally contains a lighted candle inside it, but an open flame is a known fire hazard. When jack-o-lanterns accidentally tip over, these decorative candles can cause surrounding materials to ignite and start a fire. The best alternative is to use LED or battery-operated candles.
Candle Safety
Lit candles create dramatic Halloween effects, but as mentioned, they are fire hazards and can potentially harm you and your property. LED lights and battery-operated candles can capture the same ambiance without the extra baggage.
Decoration Safety
Most of our stylish decorations during Halloween are flammable items, such as corn stalks, straw, and hay bales. Make sure to keep these decorations a safe distance away from open flames or any heat source such as candles, fireplaces, and stoves.
Halloween Safety: Yard Maintenance
Trick-or-treaters are a common sight during Halloween. Make sure that your yard is a safe space for them and their parents.
- Ensure adequate and operational lighting as well as proper yard maintenance.
- Clear your yard of clutter such as sticks, fallen leaves, and branches to prevent injuries from trips and falls.
- Secure steps and railings.
Halloween Safety: Cooking
The NFPA reports that from 2017 to 2021, cooking was the leading cause of home structure fires, accounting for 18% of reported home fire deaths. To keep your Halloween party on the safe side, here are some cooking safety tips from the NFPA:
- Do not cook when you've taken alcohol or are drowsy. You might hurt yourself!
- When cooking, broiling, frying, or boiling food, stay in the kitchen at all times. Turn off the stove or anything cooking if you leave the kitchen even for a bit.
- When you are cooking multiple dishes at a time, using a timer would be helpful. Check what you're cooking regularly and always keep them in sight.
- Flammable items like food packaging, towels, oven mitts, wooden utensils, and curtains must be kept away from the stovetop and other open flames.
For more information, read our blogs about cleaning up a grease fire, disposing of cooking oil, and putting out different classes of fires. Follow these tips for everyone’s safety. We hope you have a happy and fun Halloween this year!
Halloween Fire? We Restore.
Unfortunately, accidents still happen. In the event that a fire breaks out in your home this Halloween, call the experts at ServiceMaster by Wright at (239) 431-9947. We provide fire damage restoration in Fort Myers, Florida, and nearby areas. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
