Goodyear Police highlight electrical hazards in holiday season

As holiday decorating season begins, Goodyear police are reminding residents to take extra precautions to prevent fires and electrical hazards.

The department cites data from the National Fire Protection Association, which reports that an estimated 860 home fires linked to holiday decorations occur each year in the United States. Another 210 fires annually are caused by Christmas trees.

Officials are urging residents to inspect lights, extension cords and other decorations for damage before use, and to make sure all electrical items are approved by nationally recognized testing laboratories.

Police also emphasized several key safety practices:

• Use extension cords and electrical decorations only as marked for indoor or outdoor use.
• Plug outdoor lights into protected circuits.
• Keep yourself and equipment at least 10 feet from power lines when decorating outdoors.
• Turn off all electrical decorations before leaving home or going to sleep.
• Avoid overloading outlets and never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights together.
• Keep decorations at least three feet from heaters or open flames.
• Water live Christmas trees daily to reduce fire risk.
• Purchase electrical decorations only from reputable retailers.

Officials said taking a few simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk of holiday-related fires and help ensure families celebrate the season safely.