Sadly, house fires are pretty common at Christmas. It makes sense when you think about it, with all of the dry pine needles from Christmas trees, paper-wrapped gifts, and extra wiring and lights strung around the house. That is why it is always best not to add to fire hazards by putting flammable materials on your mantel.
- Avoid items hanging down
- If you do hang items down, remove them before lighting a fire
- Always have someone in the room when a fire is lit
- Do not put highly combustible materials on the mantle…paper, books of matches
- Make sure smoke detectors are working
- Keep a fire extinguisher in the room