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Holiday Home Safety: How to Prevent House Fires During a Move

Even if you don’t plan on decorating much, your home is at increased risk of a fire during the holiday season, especially if you have an upcoming move. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fires started by holiday decorations caused an annual average of $11 million in direct property damage in 2014-2018, the most recent statistics. That doesn’t include fires that started as a result of holiday cooking, dry Christmas trees or candles.

Homeowners face an even greater holiday fire risk in the middle of a move. Packing materials provide fuel for fires, and as you pack, you can inadvertently leave items close to a heat source, like a fireplace, presenting a hazard. Follow these tips to reduce your risk of a fire during this holiday season.

Pick up packing materials

In general, the holiday season generates a lot of flammable materials. As gifts arrive in the days leading up to the holiday, boxes and packing materials enter the home. (Consider repurposing these for your own move.) Wrapping paper scraps litter your gift-wrapping station and fill the room when recipients unwrap gifts. These can all create fire hazards as well.

During a move, though, you bring even more flammable materials into the house, such as cardboard boxes, packing paper and Styrofoam packing peanuts. Mistakenly leaving these materials too close to a fireplace, heater or candle can cause a fire.

During the holidays, you should always be careful to keep flammable materials away from a heat source, but be extra careful as you prepare for a move. Please pick up all materials, from wrapping paper to moving supplies, as soon as you finish using them.

Don’t get distracted

The holiday season is stressful in its own right. Add a move to the mix, and it’s safe to say you’ve got a lot on your mind. But letting yourself get distracted can have devastating consequences. Take cooking, for example. According to The Burn Institute, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States at any time of the year. By walking away from the stovetop for a few minutes as you prepare a holiday meal, you can put your home at risk.

While your distraction is most likely to cause a fire in the kitchen, it can put you at risk in other areas of your home. Flammable materials could be blown or knocked over, putting them close to a heat source that could ignite them. Or, you may forget to water your live Christmas tree, causing it to dry and become a fire hazard. Take extra care during a holiday move to keep focused.

Cook (and bake) with care

It wouldn’t be the holidays without elaborate meals and festive sweets. However, cooking presents one of the biggest fire hazards in the home. Reducing your risk of fire begins with common sense practices:

Stay in the kitchen while you’re cooking and baking.
If you have to leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.
Keep anything flammable, including kitchen towels and grocery bags, away from the stove.
Check your food regularly whether you’re simmering, boiling, baking or roasting it.
Use a timer to alert you when your food is done cooking or baking.
Clean up grease, which presents a potential fire hazard.
Keep a lid or baking sheet on hand to put out pan fires.
Turn handles toward the stove’s back to prevent pots and pans from getting knocked off.
Create a kids-free zone of at least 3 feet around the stove.

Be very careful with holiday candles

According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than one-third of all holiday fires are started by candles. Those candle fires often begin when something that can burn (like furniture, curtains or decorations) comes too close to a flame. Protect your home and family with these precautions:

Place candles at least 3 feet from anything that can burn.
Don’t use candles in an area where you are packing for a move.
Put candles in a sturdy candle holder, so they don’t tip.
Avoid lighting candles in bedrooms, or anywhere you might fall asleep.
Blow out holiday candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
Replace real candles with flameless ones.

Tend to the holiday tree

According to the Burn Institute, U.S. fire departments annually respond to an average of 160 fires caused by Christmas trees. Nearly half of these fires result from electrical problems, but one in five comes from a tree being too close to a heat source. The risk only increases when you forget to water the tree, and it dries out.

You don’t have to be one of the statistics, though. These tips can help reduce your risk:

Test live trees for freshness by ensuring it doesn’t drop needles when touched.
Cut 1 to 2 inches from the base of a live tree to ensure it can get water.
Fill the stand with water before putting the tree in it. Water daily.
Before decorating, check your lights. Use only those rated for indoors on your tree.
Plug no more than three strings of lights into each other. (Use a power strip instead).
Consider sparser decorations. It’s less to put away before your move and less of a fire risk.
Never use lit candles to decorate your tree.
Turn off the tree before you leave your house or go to bed.
Please get rid of your live tree before it dries out and becomes a fire hazard.

Decorate for a safer holiday season

You may not have the energy to put up holiday lights if you have an upcoming move. After all, whatever holiday decorations you pull out, you’ll have to repack before you move. But if holiday lights are a must, consider these tips to stay safe:

Curb your display. Fewer lights and decorations mean less risk (and less packing).
Inspect your lights for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps insulation and damaged sockets.
Never try to repair broken lights. Throw them out, and replace them.
Connect no more than three strands. (Read manufacturer’s instructions for exact number.)
Hang lights using clips, not nails, which can damage the cords.
Unplug lights when you leave home or go to bed.
Periodically check the wires to ensure they are not warm to the touch.

Balancing the holidays with a move

Celebrating the holiday season and moving at the same time can be exhausting. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Instead, consider hiring professional movers to handle your move so you can focus on the holidays and cut your stress in half. Moving.com has an extensive network of reputable and reliable movers who can pack up your belongings and move them to your new home. And, they’re trained to move safely, allowing you to enjoy your holidays.