Fire Officials Offer Safety Tips After Holiday Lights Spark Palatine House Fire

Holiday lights sparked a blaze at a home in Palatine last Thursday night.

Firefighters were called to the home at 1580 W. North Street in Palatine at 8:16 p.m. on Dec. 10 for a report of a fire, according to a Palatine Fire Department press release. The first fire companies found electrical wires burning next to the home with fire extending to the front of the house.

The blaze was quickly extinguished and no one was injured in the fire.

Fire investigators determined the the fire was an accident and that the blaze started on the exterior of the home where a timer and extension cords were plugged in to a stake style 4-way outlet extension for holiday lights, according to the news release. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

The Palatine Fire Department is reminding residents to follow these safety tip to prevent fires this holiday season:

• Check all holiday lighting for wear or damaged wiring and replace as needed.
• Use indoor/outdoor lighting and extension cords where they are intended.
• Do not run lighting or extension cords through windows, doors or across sidewalks.
• Do not overload electrical cords. If it is hot, it is overloaded
• Turn off all holiday lighting prior to leaving or going to bed.
• Make sure smoke detectors are tested and in good working order with fresh batteries.

The Palatine Fire Department is currently participating in the annual “Keep the Wreath Red” holiday safety program. As part of this program all Palatine Fire Department stations are decorated with large wreaths that only contain red lights. Whenever there is a holiday related fire we will exchange a red bulb on each wreath with a white bulb.

• Palatine Fire Department to ‘Keep The Wreath Red’ This Holiday Season