Newspaper Page Text
Page 4C, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, December 20,2023
Holiday Season Contributes to December
being the Top Month for U.S. Home Fires
Special to the Ledger
Many hallmarks of the
holiday season, including
Christmas trees, holiday
decorations, and festive
meals, present potential
fire hazards that contrib
ute to an annual increase
in U.S. home fires. Ac
cording to the National
Fire Protection Associa
tion® (NFPA®), Christ
mas Day and Christmas
Eve are among the
leading days of the year
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! |
Many thanks to the community
and parents for so much
support throughout
the year!
Lee County |
Primary School
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WISHING YOU A VERY...
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GCB
Georgia Community Bank
3000 N. Slappey Blvd. | Albany, GA
(229)446-0102 | GCB.bank
M e m b e
FDIC
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Roberta | Reynolds | Dawson
Leesburg | Blakely | Donalsonville
for home fires.
“December is a leading
month for home fires,
which is largely due to
the activities we engage
in during the holiday
season,” said Lorraine
Carli, NFPA vice pres
ident of Outreach and
Advocacy. “Additionally,
an increase in the use
of heating equipment,
driven by colder tem
peratures across most of
the country, contributes
to this heightened risk.”
Fortunately, Carli
notes, many winter fires
can be averted with
added awareness and
planning. “By knowing
where potential fire haz
ards exist and taking ba
sic precautions to prevent
them, people can enjoy a
festive, fire-free holiday
season,” said Carli.
NFPA’s winter holi
day resources include
tips and guidelines for
helping reduce the risk of
fires, while the associ
ation’s latest statistics
underscore the increased
risk of fire during the
holiday season and
beyond:
Christmas trees
An annual average of
150 home fires involving
Christmas trees were
reported by the US fire
departments between
2017-2021.
Electrical distribution
or lighting equipment,
such as decorative lights,
were involved in more
than two of five (44
percent) home Christmas
tree fires.
Nearly one in five
Christmas tree fires (19
percent) were started by
decorative lights. Eight
percent were started by
candles.
As Christmas trees dry
out, they become more
flammable. Thirty per
cent of Christmas Tree
fires occur in January.
Decorations
An estimated aver
age of 790 home fires
began when decorations
(excluding Christmas
trees) caught fire. These
fires caused an annual
average of 4 civilian fire
deaths, 33 civilian fire
injuries, and $14 million
in direct property dam
age between 2017-2021.
17 percent of home
decoration fires occurred
in December.
In 48 percent of fires
involving decorations,
the decoration was too
close to a heat source
such as candles or oper
ating equipment.
Candles
An estimated average
of 5,700 home fires (2
percent) started by can
dles caused an average
of 80 civilian deaths (3
percent), 560 civilian
injuries (5 percent), and
$247 million (3 percent)
in direct property dam
age per year between
2017 and 2021.
Year-round, 33 per
cent of fires began with
candles; in December,
the number jumped to 46
percent.
Christmas is the peak
day for candle fires, at
an average of 35 fires,
roughly 2.5 times the
daily average; Christmas
Eve ranked second. New
Year’s Day is ranked
third, with 30 fires per
day.
In three of every five
candle fires, the candle
was too close to some
thing that could catch
fire.
Falling asleep without
extinguishing the flame
was a factor in 10 per
cent of home candle fires
and 12 percent of the
associated deaths.
Cooking
Cooking is the leading
cause of reported home
fires (49 percent) and
home fire injuries and
the second-leading cause
of home fire deaths.
Unattended cooking
is the leading cause of
home cooking fires.
Thanksgiving is the
peak day for home
cooking fires, followed
by Christmas Day and
Christmas Eve. Know
what you can do cook
safely.
In addition, home
fires caused by heating
equipment peak during
the winter months, with
nearly half (49 percent)
of home heating fires
occurring in December,
January, and February.
Put a Freeze on Winter
Fires, an annual NFPA
campaign with the
U.S. Fire Administra
tion (USFA), works to
educate the public about
ways to stay safe during
the colder months, offer
ing tip sheets and other
resources to help reduce
the risk of heating fires
and other winter hazards.
About the National Fire
Protection Association®
(NFPA®)
Founded in 1896,
NFPA® is a global
self-funded nonprofit
organization devoted to
eliminating death, injury,
property and economic
loss due to fire, electrical
and related hazards.
CkrUtmM
Your Superior
Court Clerk,
Sara
Clark
Brenda
Sara
Nancy
Ellen
Frankie
Cassie
DR. ANNA VEILANDS
Orthodontist
V 343 Hwy 32 East. Leesburg 759-9582
408 N. Westover Blvd. Albany 883-7793