Structure fires increase with cold weather

SCHUYLER COUNTY--Officials are reminding area residents the colder weather of December can produce seasonal fire hazards.
In fact, just in the past four weeks (since Thanksgiving weekend) there have been five structure fires in the county.
Bill Kennedy, Schuyler County's emergency management coordinator, said, "We utilize the 'Keep the Wreath Blue' campaign to help area residents be aware of the fire hazards during the holidays."
This is the 13th year Kennedy's office is using the blue wreath to promote fire safety.
The emergency management's wreath starts out with all blue lights and the idea is to keep it that way. However, when there is a structure fire in Schuyler County their office changes a blue bulb to red indicating the fire.
Kennedy said, "So far this year, we already have five red bulbs in the wreath from five fires which is twice as many as last year."
Kennedy said, "We tend to see more fires due to the cold weather since people are using various types of heating devices."
Also, more people are in the house, they are baking and cooking in the kitchen, so there are more possibilities of structure fires.
Kennedy mentioned he would like people to just look around their home and think of fire safety. He suggests if you are using lights or electrical items, make sure you are not running the cord under rugs. Also ensure the electric cords are not overloaded. If you are using a wood stove, Kennedy said it's important to have it cleaned regularly. People need to be aware of clearance areas around solid fuel heating devices. A home should also have working smoke detectors.
You can track the blue wreath on the Schuyler County Emergency Management Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/schuyleremo/timeline.