Keep your home from becoming a fire hazard

The holiday season is here and many families are still putting up Christmas trees, lights and decorations. You may want to take a look around your home again to make it is not a potential fire hazard. The El Paso Fire Department created a video to show the community what type of hazards to avoid. EPFD Lieutenant James Schaerfl said 200 house fires are caused every year because of Christmas trees, specifically live trees that don’t get watered. The number of house fires skyrockets to 800 because of holiday lights, decorations and space heaters. In the video, Schaerfl said candles are also to blame. He said the three days when the most fires are reported, because of candles, are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. If you plan to have guests over for the holidays, check your smoke alarms. EPFD does offer a free smoke detector program to the community. To read the tips in entirety, click here. To watch the El Paso Fire Department’s video, click here.