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Editorial: Be vigilant for fires this Christmas

Fires are devastating at any time, but they seem more tragic during the holidays.

Fires are devastating at any time, but they seem more tragic during the holidays. They also seem to happen more during the holidays, Port Alberni Fire Dept. chief fire prevention officer Randy Thoen says.

Thanksgiving—north and south of the border—is the worst time for structure fires, with Christmas coming in a close second, Thoen says.

He’s asking everyone in the Alberni Valley to remain vigilant, especially in the kitchen. Cooking fires and issues surrounding heating are No. 1 and 2 respectively for fire causes during these holidays. Do you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? If not, do you know how to put out a fire that suddenly flares up in a pan on the stovetop?

(In case you don’t: you want to starve the fire of oxygen, so put a lid on the pot. Don’t throw the pot: you could spread hot grease or worse, and start an even larger fire .)

With the cold weather, people are turning to various heating sources to stay warm, and Thoen reminds you to watch what you heat and how you’re doing it.

‘Keep the Christmas tree watered and be careful with candles. We’re finding a lot of folks have transitioned to fabricated trees,” but not everyone has.

When daylight saving time ended, you should have checked or replaced the batteries in your smoke alarm. Having a working smoke alarm is vital if you want a chance to live in the event of a fire.