Although temperatures don’t often drop too low here in Southern California, it can still be fun to cozy up by the fire in the winter, especially around the holidays! As warming and fun as fires can be—and as beautiful as fireplaces can be—it’s important to keep safety in mind.
We recommend always practicing fireplace safety in your home, especially during the holidays when you may be having guests over and the kids are running around the house in excitement.
Fireplace Safety Tips
The U.S. Fire Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission have a lot of great fireplace safety practices, and here we’ll share some of our favorites.
General Fire Safety Tips
- Keep flammable objects, such as blankets, pillows, wrapping paper, etc., away from the fireplace.
- Open the damper before lighting the fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool. This will help prevent poisonous gases from building up.
- Keep matches, lighters and gas fireplace remote controls out of the reach of children.
- Use a screen around the fireplace to protect against flying sparks.
- Do not burn cardboard, trash or wrapping paper
- Do not treat artificial logs like real logs. Artificial logs have special burning properties, so read the instructions and follow them.
- Be careful to not overload the fireplace.
For gas fireplaces, we recommend waiting for the glass panel to completely cool before going near it (this may take an hour or more) and considering installing a switch lock to prevent children from being able to turn the fireplace on.
Fireplace Installation in San Diego & Los Angeles
Do you want to install a new fireplace for the holidays? OJ Insulation offers beautiful gas and wood burning fireplaces from leading manufacturers. Contact us today!
