Fire officer warns: Beware of Xmas fires

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Marlon Smith is calling on the public to be cautious and take the necessary steps to fireproof their homes over the Christmas season.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday, Smith said there was a noticeable increase in the number of house fires over the Christmas season and into the new year, which he said was due to overloaded circuits because of decorations, improper use of fireworks and negligence during cooking.

Smith urged people to avoid overloading power outlets with Christmas lights, especially when some plugs and sockets may be rusty or defective. He added that sockets should be kept clear of any items that could be flammable.

"Try to avoid crowding any goods around the plugs and power outlets. Also, be wary of the type of socket you have. If it's prone to sparking, or old, you may not want to take any chances and plug anything in that.

"Even while you're cooking you need to be careful. Try not to have any curtains too close to the stove, because this can lead to another fire.

"Also try not to overload the stove with too many pots as this can also be a risk."

If there is a blaze, in the case of grease-based fires, Smith said rather than using water, people could either smother the flames using a blanket or use a carbon-dioxide-based fire extinguisher to douse flames.

He also encouraged people to invest in smoke detectors and fire alarms.

He added that businesses also had a responsibility to fireproof their establishments especially warehouses or storage areas where items were stacked.

"When you have businesses that stack goods close to the ceiling, that can cause a fire to spread quickly to the roof it it starts. Be careful with how high you choose to stack these goods.

"There are also buildings that may have several businesses. There should be a partition or separation so that in the event of a fire it cannot spread easily or quickly to another, especially in instances where walls do not extend all the way to the ceiling."

Smith said while the 990 hotline number for fire emergencies would be available, people should also know which fire station was closest to their homes and write down the contact number in case of emergencies.