With holiday festivities underway, the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and its fire safety partners are reminding Illinois residents to keep fire safety at the top of their holiday checklist as they decorate and gather with family and friends in the coming weeks.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), more than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles, and more than two of every five occur when decorations are placed too close to a heat source. Nationwide, fire departments respond to an estimated 832 home structure fires each year that begin with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. Meanwhile, between 2019 and 2023, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 145 Christmas tree fires per year.

To help Illinois families stay safe this season, OSFM and its partners shared the following fire safety tips:

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Make sure decorations are either flame-retardant or flame-resistant.
• Keep lit candles at least 12 inches away from decorations or anything that can catch fire.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Extinguish all lit candles before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Check to make sure your lights are rated for indoor or outdoor use or both.
• Replace any light strands that have worn or broken cords. Make sure to read the recommendation for the number of light strings you can string together.
• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
• If you have a real Christmas tree, make sure to check water levels daily.
• Keep real Christmas trees away from a heat source. It can dry out the tree quickly.

The OSFM is also hosting its annual Keep the Wreath Red Campaign from December 1 through January 2 at offices in Springfield and Chicago, as well as at the Quinn Fire Academy. The campaign raises awareness about holiday fire safety by replacing red wreath bulbs with white ones when a fire-related death occurs. Last year, 12 lives were lost in fire-related incidents in Illinois during the holiday season.