Cold weather and holiday decorations are prompting firefighters to warn residents of fire hazards and safety. NBC 6’s Willard Shepard reports
Around this time of year, firefighters across South Florida are very concerned about fires as residents put up Christmas lights, light up the menorah, and turn up the space heaters.
One family in Lauderhill is still trying to pick up the pieces after a duplex caught on fire Tuesday.
Fortunately, a young child who was at home smelled smoke, spotted the fire, and alerted the adults who were at home with her, and they were safely able to exit the property. The child’s Christmas presents, though, are now gone.
"I can't explain right now because my kid's Christmas gifts were in there. I don’t know what to say right now. I’m just hurt," said the child's father, Rodney Smith.
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While the Red Cross is helping this dad and his daughter, 14 other people at the property also needed assistance. It’s exactly why firefighters in the region are telling everyone to keep diligent about fire safety during the holidays.
“Avoid any home fires during the holidays,” said Lieutenant Pete Sanchez with the City of Miami Fire Rescue. “It's very important if you have a live Christmas tree that you water it every day, especially the first few days, because that is when it consumes the most amount of water. Make sure the tree is three feet away from any heating source — don’t block any windows, doors, or exits.”
One mobile home in Davie went up in flames a week ago, sending two people to the hospital. The chance of a fire is heightened now because of all the lights that are plugged in.
“When connecting these, you want to use a surge protector or power strip cord and make sure that you don’t overload it," Sanchez said. "If you go ahead and plug it in the wall and you see a short circuit, immediately unplug and try to contact an electrician to make sure you don’t use that outlet because you could be in danger of having a fire."
Sanchez said this is the perfect time to check your fire extinguisher to make sure it's ready to go, if needed. For those of you who want to impress your neighbors and leave the Christmas lights on and candles in the window burning, Sanchez said that’s a bad idea. Anytime you leave your property or head to bed, you should turn the Christmas tree lights out and also blow out the candles.
