This time of year, brings holiday entertaining, decorating and increasing risk of fire. According to the NFPA between 2013-2017, U.S. fire departments responded to an average 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. Below are a few tips from Mister Sparky

Keep Trees Fresh – Keep your live tree fresh and hydrated by watering it daily. Dry trees can be a fire hazard when wrapped in Christmas lights. If you chose to use an artificial tree this year, make sure that it’s labeled as “fire resistant” on the packaging.

Lights on a Timer – Use a light timer or smart plug to program when your decorations need to be turned on and off. This way you won’t have to worry about wasting energy when it is still light outside or an accidental fire starting. For outdoor decorations, make sure you use only weatherproof electrical devise and on an outdoor timer.

Inspect Holiday Decorations – Inspect and discard any decorations that are damaged, have loose lights, have bare wires, or cracked or damaged sockets. This will help lower the risk of a holiday fire.