SARASOTA COUNTY – The Sarasota County Fire Department wants to help everyone have a safe holiday season, that’s why they’re sharing safety tips and demonstrating the possible dangers of a dry tree and flammable holiday décor.
Dried-out trees are a major fire danger and should not be left in the home or garage, or against the home outside.
The fire department also recommends that decorations should be at least three feet away from heat sources, and if possible use LED powered candles.
“Candles that come in contact with decorations are responsible for one third of the fires that happen during the holiday season, with decorations, so typically there’s a lot of kids running around during the holiday season and we would like them to not have the issue with knocking over the candles, so we recommend LED candles or battery powered candles whenever possible,” said Sarasota County Battalion Chief, Michael Haslem.
The fire department also recommends replacing any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections and always turning off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.
