November 19, 2025
The holidays bring cooking, candles, lights, trees, and gatherings — and with them, a sharp seasonal spike in home fires. Cooking fires cluster around Thanksgiving, decoration and heating fires climb through December, and fireworks-related fires peak around New Year’s. Most of these fires are preventable with a handful of simple precautions, but when prevention isn’t enough and a holiday fire damages your home, knowing what to do next — including how to protect your insurance claim — matters just as much.
This guide walks through the biggest holiday fire hazards, how to prevent them, and what to do if your home is damaged during the season. If you’re already dealing with a holiday fire loss, The Law Eagles are ready to fight for the recovery you deserve.
Holiday Fires by the Numbers
Home fires spike dramatically during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year. Cooking equipment is consistently the leading cause of Thanksgiving fires, Christmas trees and holiday lighting drive a significant share of December fires, and candle-related fires climb sharply during the darker winter months when candles are lit more often for both ambiance and decoration. Fireworks, meanwhile, cause a disproportionate share of home fires and injuries in the days surrounding New Year’s Eve. Understanding which risks cluster around which holiday helps homeowners focus their precautions where they matter most, rather than treating “holiday fire safety” as one generic checklist.
Thanksgiving: Cooking Fire Hazards
Thanksgiving is the single highest day of the year for home cooking fires, driven by multiple burners, ovens, and sometimes deep fryers running simultaneously, often with more people and distractions in the kitchen than usual. Never leave the stove unattended, keep flammable items like paper towels, oven mitts, and food packaging away from burners, and if frying a turkey, do it far away from the house, garage, and any structure — turkey fryer fires are a well-known holiday hazard because a partially frozen turkey lowered into hot oil can cause a violent oil overflow and flash fire. Keep a fire extinguisher within reach in the kitchen and never use water on a grease fire.
Christmas Tree and Holiday Lighting Fires
Live Tree Safety
A dry Christmas tree is a serious fire hazard — a well-watered tree burns far more slowly than a dried-out one, which can go up in seconds. Keep live trees watered daily, position them at least three feet from any heat source including fireplaces, radiators, and space heaters, and dispose of the tree promptly after the holidays once it starts drying out, rather than leaving it up into a needle-dropping fire risk.
Holiday Lighting
Inspect string lights every year before hanging them, and discard any with frayed wires, exposed conductors, or loose connections. Don’t overload outlets or extension cords by daisy-chaining multiple light strands beyond what the manufacturer recommends, and turn lights off before going to bed or leaving the house — a shorting strand of lights left running unattended overnight is a common cause of holiday house fires.
Candle Safety Through the Holidays
Candle use rises sharply during the holidays for both décor and gatherings, and candle fires rise right along with it. Keep candles at least 12 inches from anything flammable, including holiday decorations, wrapping paper, and dry greenery. Never leave a burning candle unattended, and extinguish all candles before leaving a room or going to sleep. Battery-operated flameless candles offer nearly identical ambiance without the open-flame risk and are worth considering for tree décor, mantels, and centerpieces where a knocked-over candle is a real possibility.
Space Heater Rules for Cold-Weather Gatherings
Portable space heaters see heavy use during the holiday season as homes fill with guests and families spend more time in rooms that don’t normally need supplemental heat. Always plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet, never an extension cord or power strip, and keep them at least three feet from bedding, curtains, furniture, and holiday decorations. Never leave a space heater running unattended or overnight, and choose a model with automatic shutoff if it tips over — a feature that has prevented countless fires in busy, guest-filled homes where a heater is more likely to get bumped.
New Year’s Fireworks and Celebration Hazards
Fireworks-related fires and injuries spike sharply around New Year’s Eve, even in areas where personal fireworks use is restricted or illegal. If fireworks are legal and used in your area, follow local ordinances closely, keep a hose or bucket of water nearby, only use fireworks outdoors and well away from structures and dry vegetation, and never allow children to handle them unsupervised. Sparklers in particular burn at very high temperatures and are a leading cause of firework-related burns and clothing fires among children, despite their reputation as the “safe” option.
Cold Weather and Extreme Winter Storm Considerations
Winter storms and extreme cold spells often overlap with the holiday season, adding another layer of fire risk on top of decorations, cooking, and gatherings. Power outages during storms lead some households to rely on alternative heat sources like fireplaces, wood stoves, or generators, each of which carries its own hazards if not used properly. Never run a generator inside a garage or enclosed space, even with the door open, due to carbon monoxide risk, and keep any backup heating source well clear of holiday decorations and furniture. If a storm knocks out power, resist the temptation to use a gas oven or stovetop as a room heater — it’s a surprisingly common practice during outages and a serious carbon monoxide and fire risk. Battery-powered lanterns and flashlights are a far safer choice than candles for storm-related power outages, especially with a home full of extra decorations and guests.
Decoration Safety Beyond Lights and Trees
Holiday decorations create additional fuel load and clutter that can accelerate a fire once it starts. Choose flame-resistant or flame-retardant artificial decorations where possible, don’t block exits, hallways, or fire extinguisher access with holiday displays, and keep decorative items away from heat sources, including string lights near curtains, ornaments near candles, and wrapping paper piled near fireplaces. A home that looks festive but has cluttered exits or fuel piled near heat sources is a home with elevated fire risk regardless of how careful individual habits are.
Hosting Holiday Gatherings Safely
A house full of guests changes the fire safety math. More people means more phone chargers, more extension cords, more cooking, and more distraction, all at the same time your home is more decorated and more cluttered than usual. Before guests arrive, do a quick walkthrough to confirm smoke alarms are working, exits aren’t blocked by furniture or decorations, and any space heaters or candles are positioned where a curious child or a guest carrying a plate can’t easily knock them over. If overnight guests are staying, take a minute to point out the nearest exits and where extinguishers are kept — most people never think to ask, but it takes seconds and could matter enormously in an emergency. Assign one person, even informally, to keep an eye on the kitchen during meal prep so an unattended stove doesn’t slip through the cracks amid the chaos of a full house.
After the Holidays: Reducing Residual Fire Risk
Fire risk doesn’t end when the presents are unwrapped. A live Christmas tree left up too long becomes progressively more flammable as it dries out, and many home fires linked to trees actually occur in early January rather than during the peak of the season. Take trees down and dispose of them promptly once they start dropping needles or feel dry to the touch — most municipalities offer curbside tree pickup or recycling specifically for this reason. Store holiday lights properly rather than leaving them tangled in a box where connectors can bend or crack, and do a final check that all candles, especially ones tucked into less-visible spots like bathrooms or guest rooms, have actually been extinguished before guests depart and the house empties out. The transition from a busy, occupied holiday home back to an ordinary quiet one is exactly when small hazards — a still-warm space heater, a smoldering ember in a fireplace — are most likely to go unnoticed.
What to Do If a Holiday Fire Damages Your Home
If a fire does happen during the holidays, the steps you take in the immediate aftermath matter for both safety and your insurance claim. Get everyone out safely and call 911, and don’t re-enter the home until fire officials confirm it’s safe. Once it’s safe, document all damage with photos and video before any cleanup begins, including damaged decorations, gifts, and holiday-related property that’s easy to overlook in an initial claim. Contact your insurer promptly, but be cautious about giving a detailed recorded statement before you understand the full scope of the loss. Keep receipts for any emergency expenses, including temporary housing if your home is uninhabitable during the holidays — a particularly disruptive time to be displaced.
Insurance Claims for Holiday Fire Losses
Holiday fire claims come with a wrinkle that homeowners don’t always anticipate: significant personal property loss tied to the season itself. Gifts purchased or received, holiday décor, and seasonal items are all recoverable under a standard homeowners policy, but insurers frequently undervalue or overlook them in the rush to close a claim. Adjusters may also try to characterize certain holiday-related fires — a candle left burning, a space heater malfunction — as attributable to homeowner negligence in a way that affects the claim’s outcome, even when the underlying cause was a product defect or ordinary accident that’s still covered.
If your home was damaged by a holiday fire and your insurance company is denying your claim, undervaluing your loss, or delaying your payout during an already difficult time of year, The Law Eagles are ready to fight for you. We’ve recovered more than $4 million on a single total-loss fire case, and we work on contingency — you pay nothing unless we win.
Call (833) 324-5399 or schedule a free consultation today.
By the Numbers
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that candles cause roughly 7,200 home fires every year, with a disproportionate share striking on Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day. Christmas tree fires are rarer but far more destructive — a heat source like a candle was involved in 26% of tree fires and 80% of the deaths they caused, and these fires cause an estimated $17.5 million in property damage annually nationwide, according to NFPA data.
Related Reading
Holiday fires don’t exist in isolation — many of the same wiring and outlet hazards behind holiday lighting show up year-round, which is why it’s worth reading our broader guide to fire safety and prevention at home alongside this one, as well as our breakdown of how insurers handle electrical fire disputes. And if a fire does break out over the holidays, the key steps for filing a fire damage insurance claim in California apply just the same.
Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Fire Safety
What’s the most common cause of house fires during the holidays?
Cooking equipment causes the most fires on Thanksgiving specifically, while Christmas trees, holiday lighting, and candles drive a large share of fires throughout December. Fireworks cause a spike in fires and injuries around New Year’s.
How do I keep my Christmas tree from becoming a fire hazard?
Water a live tree daily, keep it at least three feet from any heat source, and dispose of it promptly once it starts drying out. A well-watered tree is far more fire-resistant than a dry one.
Are flameless candles a good substitute during the holidays?
Yes. Battery-operated flameless candles provide similar ambiance without the open-flame risk, and they’re a safer choice for tree décor, centerpieces, and other spots where a candle could be easily knocked over.
Is it safe to use extension cords for holiday lights?
Only if you don’t overload them. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance on how many light strands can be safely connected, inspect cords and lights for damage before use, and never run cords under rugs or through doorways where they can be pinched or worn.
What should I do if a holiday fire damages my home?
Ensure everyone’s safety first, then document all damage with photos and video, including holiday décor and gifts, before cleanup begins. Contact your insurer and keep receipts for any displacement expenses.
Will my insurance cover gifts and holiday items damaged in a fire?
Generally yes, as personal property under a standard homeowners policy, though insurers sometimes undervalue or overlook these items. Thorough documentation and, if needed, an attorney’s help can ensure they’re properly included in your claim.
Is it safe to use a generator during a holiday power outage?
Only outdoors and well away from windows and doors. Never run a generator inside a garage or enclosed space, even with the door open, since it produces carbon monoxide that can build up quickly and is deadly even at low concentrations.