VIDEO: Emergency rooms and fire departments in Southeast Texas are reporting increases in preventable injuries and home fires during the holiday season, with cooking accidents, overloaded electrical outlets, and improper heating equipment use among the leading causes. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that December and January are peak months for home fires, many caused by cooking accidents, space heaters and overloaded electrical outlets.
Thousands of people nationwide receive treatment in emergency rooms each year for injuries linked to holiday activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fire officials say unattended cooking is the leading cause of holiday home fires, often resulting in burn injuries and smoke inhalation.
Overloaded electrical outlets pose a significant fire hazard, particularly with holiday decorations, Patrick McCorvey, a Port Arthur Fire Department battalion chief warned.
“All equipment has or should be labeled to tell you how many strings of light you can connect, how many things you can connect to an outlet, how many things you can connect to an extension cord, and those are frequently overloaded,” McCorvey said.
