The cold weather is here to stay – at least for a few months! – but fires shouldn’t follow. Iowa has seen an increase in house fires, already this year, and The Beattie Law Firm wants to remind you of some helpful tips to prevent a house fire during the holiday season.

Cooking is the leading cause in home fires, therefore, never leave an oven, burner or heated cooking appliance unsupervised while cooking or baking. The holidays are a great time to enjoy baking, cooking and eating a variety of home cooked treats, but being safe should be a top priority. Keeping children a safe distance from ovens, not exiting a room while a pot is boiling, nor leaving the property while the self-cleaning feature is running, are all helpful tidbits to minimize the opportunity for house fires.

The second most common factor in house fires are due to mechanical failures or malfunction in home heating equipment. In case of the rare chances that one of them does fail, the most important thing to remember is to always keep heating sources away from drapes, clothing, furniture and anything that can transfer fire quickly to minimize the chance of house fires!

Due to the holidays and colder weather, people often utilize their fireplaces more frequently. Although many seem to think the duty of yearly cleaning is daunting, it is highly important, as chimney’s can gather gunk from the previous year’s burns. Cleaning a chimney yearly will not only put your mind at ease, but also reduce the risk of a house fire.

If you, or a loved one, become a victim of a house fire, please call The Beattie Law Firm for a FREE consultation with an attorney at 515-263-1000.