Gail Delaughter, KUHF Public Radio
Houston Firefighter Albert Bennett shows a mass of tangled electrical cords plugged into a single outlet. Bennett says you see it in a lot of homes as folks string up colorful lights for the holidays.
But Houston Fire Captain Ruy Lozano says if you’re not careful your Christmas could go up in smoke.
“Our Christmas trees have lights. Then we want to put lights on the mantel. And the Christmas tree is close to the mantel so we utilize the same plug. We don’t have a surge protector, we overload that plug, and once that plug becomes overloaded an arc can occur.”
Fire officials say last December, Houston had over 120 residential fires. Those fires caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage.
Jenifer Paneral with the Houston Apartment Association says the fires that happen in apartment complexes are especially dangerous.
“I think just the mere density, because you have more people living in one area versus a single family home.”
And along with faulty holiday decorations, Paneral says apartment complex managers also have other concerns when it comes to the risk of fire.
“Space heaters and burning candles unattended, or leaving things on the stove, that is many times the cause of a fire.”
Firefighters say it’s crucial for everyone to have a working smoke detector in their home or apartment. Residents who can’t afford a smoke detector can get one for free from the Houston Fire Department. For links to more fire safety tips, visit www.houstonfire.org and www.safeinmyplace.com.
(Hear the full story at KUHF Public Radio)
OTHER LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:
- CPS Works To Return Toddler – An Illegal Immigrant – To Family (News 92 FM)
- Feds: BP had ‘numerous motives’ to conceal Gulf spill flow rate (Fuel Fix)
- Parents sue over alleged sex assault in juvenile detention (KPRC 2 News)
- Woman, 83, accused of stealing from people seeking legal help (KTRK 13 News)
- Jessica Tata’s attorney expects 80-year sentence to be overturned (Houston Chronicle)
- Second gold coin donated to Salvation Army (KPRC 2 News)
- King, Houston’s first black city attorney, dies at 77 (Houston Chronicle)
- Junior Achievement, Exxon Mobil Inspire Business-Savvy Students (News 92 FM)
STATE, NATION & WORLD:
- Texas cancer agency’s $11 million grant bypassed review panels (Houston Chronicle)
- Dallas gym limits membership to solely overweight patrons (KHOU 11 News)
- Ethics Commission Backs Off Investigative Power Plan (Texas Tribune)
- Expert: TX student SAT, ACT scores largely flat (AP/KTRK 13 News)
- Sandy controversy lingers after hurricane season’s end (Houston Chronicle)
- In Wake Of Recession, Immigrant Births Plunge (NPR)
- Ex-employee charged in hepatitis probe (CNN)
- Mexico’s crime wave has left about 25,000 missing, government documents show (Washington Post)