christmas fire risks

This Christmas, families may mingle more in homes than in venues and eateries. With houses packed with more people, as well as brimming with festive frills and frivolities, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, dedicated loss assessor, Property Claim Assist, considers 10 Christmas fire risks to guard against.

Christmas Fire Risks

1. Stray cigarettes

Make absolutely sure nobody falls asleep whilst smoking a cigarette, (perhaps after too much pud and Prosecco!). Make sure all ashtrays are on stable surfaces. Don’t leave cigarettes burning unattended in an ashtray and check stubs are fully extinguished.

2. E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes are a fire risk, when their batteries are boosted by another device’s non-compatible charger. Only ever use the charger supplied and don’t allow your batteries to make contact with metal items, including keys and coins, or this could lead to a short circuit and possible explosion.

3. Electrical goods

With so many electrical items in Santa’s sack, there’s every temptation to overload extension cables and sockets. This is a fire hazard waiting to happen, so if you want to avoid the trauma of property loss caused by fire damage, don’t do it! One socket should only be supplying up to 3000 watts of power to appliances, no more. A hairdryer alone uses about 2200 watts! Also, never link your extension cables together. The chances of leading to overheating a socket are drastically increased.

4. Candles and incense burners

Both of these ambience bringers can be highly dangerous. Position candles carefully, away from any flammable materials such as fabrics and wooden shelves and only on stable, heat-resistant surfaces. Never leave them unattended. See our other tips in our candles article.

5. Cold turkey and chips

Turkey leftovers cry out for chips but beware when cooking them. Chip pan fires cause around 12,000 household fires a year and resulting property losses from fire damage. Try to treat yourself to a thermostatically controlled device or air-fryer. If not, never leave a chip pan burning on the hob, allow oil to overheat or encourage oil to rise and spill over the pan, purely because you have put wet chips into the oil.

6. Faulty wiring

Make sure there is no faulty wiring in your electrical system. Signs of a fault include dimming and flickering lights, regularly blown fuses, buzzing switches, discoloured or charred sockets and burning smells. Any shock delivered by a socket should also be a warning.

7. Switch off the fairy lights

Always switch off the fairy lights on the tree, if you are heading out or going to bed and don’t operate fairy lights in a cramped space, where overheating could occur. Meanwhile, keep any flammable materials away from the lights. Did you know that fairy lights should not really be used with real trees?

8. Open fires

Don’t be tempted to create that Christmas card idyll of stockings hanging above the hearth, if you light real fires. These – and other decorations – can easily catch fire and cause a blaze. Always use a fireguard too, to prevent lit coals or logs spilling out.

9. Chimneys

Clearing your chimney for Christmas isn’t just about making sure the big jolly fella can visit! It’s essential to remove any highly flammable creosote deposits on the chimney walls, so get the chimney swept, or burn a special chimney sweeping log. There are around 7000 chimney fires per year, in England alone. Don’t let your property be damaged by one!

10. Arson

Unfortunately, arson is a major crime. Stay vigilant, on behalf of both your family and your neighbours, and report any suspicious activity. Commercial property owners should remove any rubbish or materials that could be set alight and install some security measures, such as cameras, if their property is isolated, or in a quiet or dark area after working hours.

General Fire Safety

Fitting fire alarms is the best way to keep yourself safe at home and at work, but make sure you regularly test these and change used batteries.

How Property Claim Assist Can Help

Being aware of potential Christmas fire risks is extremely important. Did you know that between 2017 and 2019, fire services tended to more than 2,300 fires on Christmas Day? Fire damage insurance cases can be extremely complicated. Loss results from not just flames, but smoke, odour and the water used to extinguish the fire. Assessing the long-term implications of all of this, often requires expert help.

Property Claim Assist is here to help you. We argue for your full insurance policy entitlement and ensure your voice is heard within the claim negotiations. We counterbalance the arguments of the insurer’s representative – the loss adjuster.

If you instruct our trusted contractors to handle your repairs, our service – and our empathy and practical support – will cost you nothing.

Just call 0333 577 2720 and let us help you get things back to normal, whatever type of significant property loss you have suffered. That’s what we care about.

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Reviews from previous policyholders that have appointed Property Claim Assist to manage their claim.

We pride ourselves on managing your property insurance claim, ensuring that we take the weight off your shoulders, with a stress free process.

“Thank goodness I had these guys by my side”

After a traumatic accidental house fire I was a little lost on how to deal with the insurance and the claim. I reached out to these guys and thank god I did! Simon and everyone else at Property Claim Assist were invaluable and I honestly don’t know if I could have got through it all without them. Handling a big and complex insurance claim is very stressful and complicated. The guys at PCA explained how everything worked and guided me through it all and took up a lot of slack and a lot of the work. Thank goodness I had these guys to depend on.

Paul, Fire Insurance Claim
“Professional Handling of the Claim while I was Overseas”
Professional, timely, efficient and effective handling of a massive Escape of Water Claim in a Grade II listed cottage. Gary knows the process, has the contacts and gets things done. I was having to deal with this loss while overseas, so having the Property Claim Assist interfacing with the insurance company, surveyor and contractors was a godsend. Would not have had such a fabulous remediation without Property Claim Assist.

Dr Ford, Fire Insurance Claim, Fire Insurance Claim

“Amazing from start to finish”

Where do I start…Property Claim Assist took our case on when no one else would. They have been brilliant from day 1. We were fighting a loosing battle with the insurance company. They were 100% professional and adept from start to finish. They have been patient and empathetic and got the job done. We will be forever grateful to PCA. The experience has been life changing in many ways but we are in a massively better off position than we were before we contacted them. I cannot recommend PC Assist highly enough.

Alison, Property Insurance Claim, Fire Insurance Claim