NORFOLK, Va. — As the holidays wrap up and the year comes to a close, Norfolk Fire and Rescue wants to make sure homeowners know what steps they can take to prevent accidental house fires.
Norfolk Fire Station 7 Acting Battalion Chief Robert Matthews Jr. said multi-tasking -- especially during the holidays -- can be a recipe for disaster.
“We’re always in a hurry to hurry up, so some of the things we can stop and take a breath for is looking at what we’re doing in the kitchen,” said Matthews. “Are the handles turned away from the ends? Are we watching what we’re cooking? And we’re never walking away from what we’re cooking and trying to do something else.”
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of house fires, with heating equipment coming in second, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
“If we’re using space heaters, please make sure there’s at least two feet, three feet around the space heaters,” said Matthews. “[That] they’re not pushed up against anything. The new presents, make sure we keep track of where all the presents and the papers are going.”
The National Fire Protection Association said an average of 160 home fires began with Christmas trees, many sparked by decorative lights. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the top two days for home candle fires.
“Candles are a big thing,” said Matthews. “Everybody likes candles during the holidays. I love candles as well, but we have to make sure we use candles that there’s an area open, we’re paying attention to it, we never go to sleep with a candle lit; we make sure we blow the candle out.”
Matthews emphasized to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly, extension cords are put away and chimneys are cleaned.