The winter holiday season is traditionally a festive and eventful time of year. Celebrations, family gatherings and visits from house guests traditionally increase in number during the season. Statistics show that the incidents of home fires and electrical accidents also typically increase during the winter holiday season.

Festive celebrations, flickering lights and winter greens are hallmarks of the holiday season, but they also present fire risks that can quickly turn this festive time of year into a devastating one.

The following information is provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) (http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/wildfire-and-seasonal-fires/winter-holiday-safety).

Winter holiday fires by the numbers:

• Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 35% of home Christmas tree fires.
• One-fifth (20%) of the decoration fires started in the kitchen. One out of six (17%) started in the living room, family room or den.
• The top three days for home candle fires were Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Christmas Eve.

Christmas tree & decoration fires:

Carefully decorating your home can help make your holidays safer. Between 2009-2014 U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 210 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 860 home structure fires per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees.

Holiday cooking:

In 2014, the three leading dates for home structure fires caused by cooking were: Thanksgiving, Christmas day and Christmas Eve. That's why it's important to know what you can do to help keep your friends and family safe while entertaining for the holidays.

Put a Freeze on Winter Fires campaign:

NFPA and USFA team up each year for the "Put A Freeze on Winter Fires" campaign to remind you that the winter months are the leading time of year for home fires. To help you stay safe, we’re providing a wealth of safety tips and information on cooking, heating, candles and holiday decorating – factors that contribute to the increased risk of home fires in the months ahead.

Make Safety a Tradition for your family this holiday season. All are encouraged to make use of the National Fire Protection Association’s complimentary awareness resources to encourage family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to keep safety in mind during this magical time of year.

A proactive approach to safety will help you give the gift of safety to your family and friends this holiday season!