Don't Leave Cooking Unattended; Water Your Christmas Tree; Extinguish Candles: Central Fire Protection Officials Say

CAPITOLA, CA — Central Fire Protection officials have issued a reminder to residents about fire safety during the busy holiday season. Parties, guests, cooking and entertaining can leave some people frazzled and forgetful. Fire officials share their tips to keep your family and your home safe from preventable accidents.

Houseguests should be included in your family’s regular fire safety plan.

Additional holiday fire safety tips include:

• Make sure that you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home
• Keep candles away from flammable materials
• Extinguish candles when you go to sleep or leave the house
• Check all holiday lights for damage before hanging them
• Do not overload electric circuits
• Turn off lights and decorations before leaving the house
• Have your fireplace cleaned once a year and burn only clean dry wood
• Provide ashtrays for holiday guests that smoke
• Include overnight holiday guests in your home emergency plan
• Keep Christmas trees in water and away from heat sources
• Do not leave holiday meals cooking unattended

Officials also recommend disposing the Christmas tree quickly after the holidays.

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