Texas Home Insurance Tip – Guard Against House Fire This Halloween

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Halloween should be a fun holiday, and with that in mind, I have been publishing Halloween Safety Tips on my agency Facebook page, over the past week. But, just to make sure that your holiday is not a scary one instead of a spooky one, we need to make sure we are guarding against house fire. In the video above, the representative from Underwriters Laboratories talks about the difference between real candles and LED candles, as well as, the how to tell if a decoration is rated for indoor use or outdoor use.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Halloween ranks among the top 5 days of the year for candle fires. I remember last year, one of the tenants which shares our office building had a candle burning in their window, and it was almost closing time. So, I went over to the window to see if it was really burning, and as I looked inside to see the wick burning, I was relieved to see it was an LED light… trust me, they look very real!

As we all know, especially since the tragedies which occurred in Bastrop & Steiner Ranch are still so fresh in our minds, and since we are not out of this Texas drought yet – we need to do all we can to prevent house fire in Texas. Please follow these simple steps this Halloween and you should have a fun and safe holiday:

  • Candles should never be left unattended. Other potentially safer options for candles are votives or "electric" candles
  • Keep your decorative Jack-O-Lanterns well away from the front door where a trick-or-treater’s costume may brush the flame. Also, keep them away from curtains or other decorations such as fake spider webs, which could ignite a fire.
  • Do not use inside UL rated decorations (green UL symbol) outside. Make sure any electric decoration you use outside has the red UL symbol, which means it has been rated for outside use.
  • Do not run wires for your outside decorations through closed windows or doors. The wires can become damaged and cause a serious house fire hazard.

So, from your friends at Central Texas Insurance – Mark Lyne – Have a safe, spooky & fun Halloween today! Remember, if you do need us, if you have a Texas home insurance policy with us and there is a house fire, we are here for you. If you need to make a claim, feel free to call us at the agency or on our claims line at 1-800-435-7764.