Christmas is the time of the year when households are alight with candles. Cliche as it sound, but candles light up our own little world inside the house, and keeps us warm and safe. Or does it? The National Fire Protection Association have recently reported that houses have been burned down completely by candles, leaving around 15,600 totally damaged houses, killing 150 people, and damage costs totaled to about $550 million dollars.

In a report written by Marty Ahrens, about thirty eight percent of fires originated from the bedroom, due to candles burning inside. Recently, at least two separate fires broke out on Christmas eve in Chicago. One broke out in the Chicago Village subdivision, where two sisters, Marian and Gabriela Pasteles, were rushed to the intensive care unit due to smoke inhalation, and their conditions were bad. On the other hand, another one broke out in the Cary suburb, located in the north part of Chicago. An unattended candle was left burning inside the house, and the dwelling was completely razed to the ground. A lone woman who was inside at the time of the fire incident was able to escape without sustaining any injuries. However, the family dog did not make it out in time, and was killed by the fire.

Thus, it is important that households should exercise safety precautions, especially during the holidays. Sometimes, accidents can happen, so it is important to keep you and your family safe. Taking the necessary safety precautions is not overreacting, but about being prepared to whatever might happen.

There are many things which can be done in order to ensure the safety of your home. One can enjoy his or her Christmas party both worry-free and accident-free by buying and using fire-retardant products, and selecting decors which do not catch fire easily. Likewise, place decors away from flammable objects such as natural candles or natural wax candles. Candles should be placed in sturdy candleholders and must be kept away from children and pets. Candles must never be left burning all through the night. Surroundings must have fire safety measures such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and water pumps nearby. It is also wise to keep and use battery-operated flashlights especially in the case of a power outage. It is wise to be able to have a good escape route in the house, building or within the vicinity in case of emergency. There should be escape route markers that should be posted in locations where people can easily see them. Make sure that children are also supervised, since their playful activities can get rowdy at times, and might not realize the danger of playing with flammable objects.