The festive season is a special time for celebration, however it can bring extra distractions. This year, we’re asking you to keep fire safety at the top your list.

Many of us enjoy a merry tipple over the holidays however, mixing cooking and alcohol can be a recipe for disaster.

Remember – fire starts when your attention stops!

Unattended cooking is one of the biggest causes of house fires in South Wales and can lead to tragic consequences. In the last three years one in three accidental house fires during the festive period were caused by unattended cooking.

If you’re out at a party or if you’re just having a night out down the pub, it’s best to buy food on the way home, rather than attempting to cook when you get back. If you do want to make something when you get home, then it’s best to prepare cold food .

If you’re not concentrating, then cooking even the simplest meal can cause a fire – so when you’re doing a turkey with all the trimmings, it’s even more important to keep alert. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re cooking a big meal – it only takes a few seconds for a fire to start.

We don’t want your celebrations to end in tragedy because of the extra hazards that are present at this time of year. So when you’re decking the halls make sure you don’t overload sockets – remember one plug per socket. Always unplug Christmas lights when you’re going to bed or leaving the house. In the last three years one in five accidental house fires during the festive period were caused by faulty electrics.

Head of Community Safety and Risk Reduction, Group Manager Dean Loader said: “Fires are devastating at any time of year but this is heightened even more over the festive season. From candles, Christmas lights, overloaded plug sockets, cooking left unattended, we want you to be safe and take steps to prevent fires from occurring and spoiling the holiday. So make sure you have a look at our safety tips, make sure you have a working smoke alarm and check it regularly, have an escape plan and be aware of some of the potential fire hazards.”

For more information on keeping yourself and others safe over the holidays download our Safe and Well booklet here: https://www.southwales-fire.gov.uk/app/uploads/2018/09/2485-Safe-and-Well-booklet_web_en.pdf