A small metal trash can is a good place to keep ashes while they cool. Douglas Disposal provides a special bin for their disposal at the Transfer Station.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
East Fork Fire Protection District is reminding residents to use caution with holiday lighting; both inside and out, cooking safety and fireplace safety.
Woodstoves are popular in Carson Valley for heat and ambiance, but improper disposal of fireplace ashes is a common cause of fires.
“East Fork Fire recommends the purchase of a metal can with a lid that can be secured,” Fire Marshal Amy Ray said. “Remove the ashes from the fireplace and place them in the metal can. Add water to the ashes and stir through the hot ashes. Secure the can with the lid for a couple of days. Open the lid and add more water, ensuring that the ashes are completely cool before disposal.”
While a live Christmas tree is a traditional addition to the holiday, they are a source of ignition for home fires.
“Carefully decorating the Christmas tree can help make your holidays safer,” Ray said. “Between 2018-2022, fire departments responded to an average of 155 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in more than two in five (41 percent) home Christmas tree fires. Nearly one of every five (20 percent) Christmas tree fires were started by lamps or bulbs. Roughly two of every five (40 percent) home Christmas tree fires started in the living room.”
Outdoor lighting over the holidays is a popular way to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to the neighborhood, but lights and ladders account for lots of fire calls.
“Carefully decorating your home can help make your holidays safer,” Ray said. “U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 835 home structure fires per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months.”
The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Most cooking fires in the home involve the kitchen stove. Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
“Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop,” Ray said.
For additional information, contact the East Fork Fire Protection District at 775-782-9040.
