Christmas fires warning

FIREFIGHTERS have warned householders that they are 50 per cent more likely to die in an accidental house fire during the Christmas period than at any other time of the year.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is holding displays, fire safety talks and community engagement events throughout December, all themed around winter safety advice.

Cooking, candles, fairy lights and flammable decorations are all major causes of house fires and will be highlighted at the events, along with the SYFR's free home safety checks.

As part of the safety drive, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has released a video aimed at highlighting how quickly your tree—and your Christmas—can go up in smoke.

In the video, an unwatered scotch pine Christmas tree destroys a living room in less than a minute http://www.youtube.com/SYFR08.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue's head of community safety, Steve Makepeace, said: "The risk of fire in the home is an all-year-round issue, but people are particularly vulnerable at Christmas for many reasons, ranging from unsafe electrical decorations, unattended candles through to cooking while drunk.

"People vastly underestimate the deadly strength of toxic smoke and overestimate how long they have to escape should a fire break out.

"The reality is that just two to three breaths of smoke in a fire can render a person unconscious.

"Christmas should be a time for celebration rather than tragedy and for this reason I'm urging people to be fire aware and stay fire safe."

For more information or to arrange a free home safety check call 0114 253 2314, visit www.syfire.gov.uk or go to www.twitter.com/syfr.