^{Media Contact: Ruby Ramirez} 

ATLANTA, December 9, 2020 — As temperatures drop across Georgia and the holidays approach, many of us are looking to cozy up our homes with festive holiday décor. Planning on decorating with holiday candles? Consider using the flameless kind — as December is the peak month for candle fires.

The risk is so common that nearly one-third of us have left the room or fallen asleep while burning candles, according to a 2020 national American Red Cross survey. If you must use candles, never leave them unattended, keep them away from anything that could burn, and place them out of reach from children and pets.

The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters annually and most of these are home fires. In a typical year, home fires kill more people in the United States than all other natural disasters combined. In Georgia alone, the Red Cross responded to nearly 2,200 home and apartment fires over the past four years (2016-2019) during the holiday months of November and December and helped over 9,500 people recover from these disasters across the state.

The Georgia Red Cross also urges everyone to follow these decorating safety tips to prevent fires and injuries:

1. Check all holiday light cords to make sure they aren’t frayed or broken. Don’t string too many strands of lights together — no more than three per extension cord. Turn off all holiday lights when going to bed or leaving the house.
2. Ensure outside decorations are for outdoor use and fasten lights securely to your home or trees. If using hooks or nails outside, make sure they are insulated to avoid electrocution or fire hazard.
3. Look for the fire-resistant label when buying an artificial tree. Keep it away from fireplaces, radiators, and other sources of heat. Never use electric lights on metallic trees.
4. If getting a live tree, make sure it’s fresh and keep it watered. Bend the needles up and down to make sure no needles fall off.
5. Don’t light the fireplace if hanging stockings on the mantel.
6. Check the labels of older decorations. Some older tinsel is lead-based. If using angel hair, wear gloves to avoid irritation. Avoid breathing in artificial snow.
7. Have good, stable placement when using a ladder, and wear shoes that allow for good traction.

STAY SAFE FROM HOME FIRES 

Test your smoke alarms monthly and practice your home fire escape plan until everyone can escape in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download the free Red Cross Emergency app (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.