Halloween - Your House & Fire Damage
Creating a spooky Halloween mood often relies on great lighting effects in your home and yard.
Glowing jack-o-lanterns carved with intricate designs, flickering luminaries that sway gently in the breeze, and strategically placed uplighting that casts eerie shadows are all classic fare that add to the haunting ambiance.
Unfortunately, lighting effects can also pose a fire threat.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):
- From 2018–2022 there was an average of 835 home structure fires that began with decorations per year. These fires caused an annual average of 3 civilian fire deaths, 30 civilian fire injuries, and $14 million in direct property damage.
- Nearly half (47%) of these fires occurred because the decorations were too close to a heat source, such as a candle or hot equipment.
- Approximately one-third (32%) of these fires were started by candles.
In order to stay safe and enjoy the holiday festivities, it’s essential to follow safety tips this Halloween.
- Choosing the correct Halloween Decorations
- How to Make Your Jack-O-Lanter Safe
- Paper Bag Luminaries – Common Sense Stuff
- A Candle in the Wind is not a Good Thing
- How to Prepare & Protect Your Family & Home from a Fire
- What to Do if a Fire Starts
- What to Do After a Fire
- Insurance & Fire Damage
- Wrapping it Up
Choosing the Correct Halloween Decorations to Avoid Fire Hazards
Many decorations such as cornstalks, haystacks, dried flowers, crepe paper, and faux spider webs are flammable due to materials being used.
These can light up in an instant, igniting from live flames as well as heat sources like heaters and light bulbs.
Safer Alternative – use flame-resistant or non-flammable materials wherever possible. Avoid having a wood-burning fire inside if it may become unattended due to holiday commotion or trick or treaters. Outside, have a hose and buckets of water ready for any outdoor emergencies.
How to Make Your Jack-O-Lanter Safe
Don’t worry your Jack-o-Lanter will still be scary or funny or what every you carved it to be; it just wont be able to burn your house down.
DON’T use a candle as your lighting feature. The pumpkin can easily be tipped over and catch its surroundings on fire, whether that’s dry brush or a porch outside, or upholstery or carpeting inside.
DO use an LED light, glow stick, or electric candle instead.
That’s it – now that was so bad was it.
Paper Bag Luminaries - Common Sense Stuff
Another holiday mainstay, these decorations give a warm, welcoming lighted pathway up to a house.
I know there are some people that are going to read this and be thinking really.
But for the rest of you.
DON’T use live candles. Paper bags are extremely flammable and are prone to tip over with just a slight breeze.
DO use an electric candle instead which, even if tipped over, won’t cause any damage.
There, now everyone knows.
A Candle in the Wind is not a Good Thing
Sorry Elton John, but a candle in the wind can cause serious damage to someone wearing a costume that is not flame retardant or cause for damage inside a house.
More than a third of Halloween home fires each year are started by a candle. A live flame is never safe – inside, outside or anywhere.
DON’T use candles for any holiday decorations; use electric candles or LED lights instead
How to Prepare & Protect Your Family & Home from a Fire
- Install the right number of smoke alarms. Test them once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
- Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
- Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home and know the family meeting spot outside of your home.
- Establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another.
- Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. Press the smoke alarm test button or yell “Fire“ to alert everyone that they must get out.
- Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.
- Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes catch on fire.
What to do if a Fire Starts
If a Fire Starts:
- Learn to use a fire extinguisher.
- Get out, stay out, and call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.
- Shout “Fire!” and exit quickly. Use stairs instead of elevators. Leave belongings behind.
- If doors are warm or smoke is present, find another way out. Do not open warm doors.
- If you must go through smoke, stay low and crawl to safety. Close doors behind you.
- If blocked, stay in a room with the door closed. Use a wet towel under the door and call the fire department or 9-1-1. Open a window and signal for help.
- Once outside, go to your meeting spot and send one person to call the fire department. Follow your family’s emergency plan if you can’t reach your meeting spot.
If your clothes catch fire:
- Stop what you are doing.
- Drop to the ground and cover your face if possible.
- Roll back and forth until the flames are out. Running can worsen the situation.
After the flames are out, cool the burned area with water for three to five minutes. Seek medical assistance.
What to do After a Fire
- Call 9-1-1. Give first aid where needed; cool and cover burns to reduce the chance of further injury or infection.
- Let friends and family know you’re safe.
- People and animals that are seriously injured or burned should be transported to professional medical or veterinary help immediately.
- Stay out of fire-damaged homes until local fire authorities say it is safe to re-enter.
- Pay attention to how you and your loved ones are experiencing and handling stress. Promote emotional recovery by following these tips.
- Discard any food that has been exposed to heat, smoke or soot.
- Watch pets closely and keep them under your direct control.
- Help people who require additional assistance- infants and children, older adults, those without transportation, large families who may need additional help in an emergency situation, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.
Returning to Normal after a Fire
Returning back to normal after your home has experienced fire damage can be challenging.
If your home has suffered fire damage, it’s important to act quickly and safely.
Avoid entering the home until it has been deemed safe by fire officials. Once cleared, begin the cleanup process by removing any damaged or destroyed items. Wear protective gear like gloves and a mask, and be cautious of potential hazards like soot, ash, and structural instability.
Having a professional restoration services to guide you through process, prioritize your safety and work to restore your home to a livable condition is highly advisable.
Woodlands Water Restoration has help many homeowners dealing with smoke and fire damage restoration in Houston and the surrounding area get their homes back to pre-loss conditions or better.
The first step is coming out and visiting with you to determine the extent of the damage.
Secondly, we will be your advocate in dealing with your insurance company and making sure that you are compensated for everything you are entitled to in order to get your home back to pre-loss conditions.
Thirdly, we will removed any damaged building material and clean any salvageable building material.
Lastly, your home will be built back so that you can get back to normal.
Wrapping it Up
Halloween involves costumes, trick-or-treating, and decorations, but also poses fire risks. Candles in jack-o’-lanterns and flammable costumes can easily ignite. To stay safe, use battery-operated candles, keep decorations away from heat sources, and choose fire-resistant materials for costumes. By following these fire safety guidelines, everyone can enjoy Halloween while minimizing fire hazards.
