Holiday Fire Safety: Cooking, Trees, Lights and Space Heaters in Atlanta Homes

The holidays are when the house is fullest: a turkey in the oven, every burner going, a tree in the living room, lights on the porch, candles on the table and a space heater in the guest room. It is also the busiest stretch of the year for home fires. Here is where holiday fires actually start, how to head them off, and exactly what to do if smoke or fire reaches your home in North Metro Atlanta.

Why the holidays are fire season

National Fire Protection Association data show the same pattern every year. Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires in the United States: U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,610 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, close to five times the average day. In NFPA data, Christmas Day has ranked right behind Thanksgiving for cooking fires. December is also the peak month for candle fires, and the top days for candle fires have been Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve.

None of that is surprising when you think about a holiday house: more cooking, more people, more distractions, more cords and more open flames, all at once.

In the kitchen

• Stay in the kitchen while anything is frying, grilling, boiling or broiling. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires. If you have to leave, turn the burner off.
• Keep a lid and a sheet pan within reach. If a pan of grease catches fire, slide the lid over it and turn off the burner. Never throw water on a grease fire.
• Oven fire? Keep the door closed and turn it off. The fire will run out of air.
• Clear the stovetop of towels, oven mitts, paper and packaging.
• Keep kids and pets three feet from the stove and hot dishes.
• Turkey fryers stay outside on a flat surface, well away from the house, deck, garage and trees. Thaw and dry the bird completely and never overfill the oil.
• Check the smoke alarms before the guests arrive, and know where your fire extinguisher is.

Trees, lights and decorations

Christmas tree fires are not common, but they are serious when they happen. NFPA estimates U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 155 home fires a year that started with a Christmas tree from 2018 to 2022, and electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in about 41 percent of them.

• Choose a fresh tree with green needles that do not fall off when touched, cut an inch off the trunk and water it every day. A dry tree burns fast.
• Keep the tree at least three feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles and heat vents.
• Use lights from a recognized testing lab, and only use outdoor-rated lights outside. Throw out sets with frayed wires or broken sockets.
• Do not overload outlets or run extension cords under rugs. Follow the manufacturer’s limit on how many light strings to connect.
• Turn off tree and decoration lights when you go to bed or leave the house.
• Get the tree out of the house after the holidays, once it starts drying out.

Candles, fireplaces and space heaters

• Keep candles at least a foot from anything that can burn, in sturdy holders, and blow them out before you leave the room or go to sleep. Battery candles look the same and cannot start a fire.
• Have the chimney inspected before the first fire of the season, use a screen, and let ashes cool in a metal container outside, well away from the house.
• Give space heaters three feet of clear space, plug them straight into the wall, and turn them off when you leave the room or go to bed.
• Never use the oven or a grill to heat the house, and keep generators outside.

If there is a fire

1. Get everyone out and call 911. Do not go back in for anything. Small fires grow fast, and smoke is the bigger danger.
2. Wait for the fire department to clear the house before anyone goes back inside.
3. Call your insurance company and get a claim number. Ask about additional living expenses if you cannot stay in the house.
4. Secure the property. Broken windows, doors forced open and holes cut in the roof need to be boarded up and tarped right away to protect the house and your belongings.
5. Deal with the water. The water used to put out a fire soaks floors, walls and ceilings. It needs to be extracted and dried within a day or two to stop mold.

What not to do after smoke damage

• Do not run the heat or air conditioning until the system is checked. It can pull soot through the ducts into every room.
• Do not wipe soot off walls or furniture. Wiping smears it into paint and fabric and makes it harder to remove.
• Do not eat food that was near the fire, heat, smoke or soot, and throw out anything in the fridge if the power went out.
• Do not use electronics or appliances that were exposed to heat, smoke or water until they are checked.
• Do not throw away damaged items before your adjuster has seen them. Photograph everything first.

Smoke travels far beyond the room that burned. Soot settles in closets, HVAC ducts and fabrics throughout the house, and the odor will not go away with household cleaning. A fire and smoke restoration company can board up, remove the water, clean and deodorize, and pack out and clean the belongings that can be saved. Our guide to the first 48 hours after a house fire walks through it step by step.

Frequently asked questions