As the month of October comes to a close, so does National Fire Prevention Month. All month long we’ve been sharing tips and information on how you and your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers can all work together to prevent fires around the home and workplace. Now it’s almost time for Halloween, but fire prevention practices need to be priority long after Halloween and the month of October have come and passed.

Halloween is a busy holiday for families and children, and it’s also filled with potential fire hazards that can impact the entire neighborhood and natural environment if you’re not careful. Many people build haunted houses in their homes, light candles, have parties, and hang decorations that require the use of electrical outlets and electrical wires. According to the NFPA, decorations are the first source of fires in more than 100 home fires reported each year.

Keep the following tips in mind to prevent fires this Halloween:

Swap out candles and torches for flashlights—Whether you’re decorating your patio, walkway, or the inside of your home, keep candlelight and torches to a minimum and instead opt for decorations that can be operated with a flashlight instead of real candles.

Place lit pumpkins away from anything that can burn—It is best to use battery-powered light for jack-o-lanterns when possible, but if you do choose to light your pumpkins with real candles, be sure to keep the pumpkins away from flammable sources and yards. Also, costumes can catch on fire easily, so be careful about the pumpkins’ proximity to trick-or-treaters.

Know which Halloween-related decorative materials are flammable—Speaking of keeping flames away from flammable materials, make sure you know which decorative materials are very sensitive to flames: corn stalks, crepe paper, and dried flowers, just to name a few.

Familiarize yourself with these tips to stay safe and prevent fires this Halloween!

Last week was National Fire Prevention Week, and the month of October is officially National Fire Prevention Month, raising awareness to help prevent fires all month long. We’ve been sharing various statistics and tips each week this month to help you and your family learn how to stay safe and how you can help prevent fires. This week we’re going to share some common causes for fires in the home and what you can do to prevent them.

Fire risks lurk in some of the most common areas of the home, and they can arise during some of the most mundane activities. Here are a few examples:

Washing and drying clothes—Did you know that one of the biggest reasons washer or dryer fires start is due to the lack of cleaning?

• What you can do: Clean out the dryer lint pocket after every load of laundry you dry. Remove any materials from the floor or surrounding washer or dryer area that could burn or overheat. Also make sure the air vent pipe is not restricted in any way.

Grilling indoors or outdoors—Whether you’re grilling outside or on a small, countertop grill in the kitchen, leaving a grill on and placing it too close to other objects immediately creates a fire hazard.

• What you can do: Keep your grill clean, never leave it unattended, and make sure it’s a safe distance from your home, deck railings and furniture, or from tree branches and other foliage.

Cooking in the kitchen—Did you know that cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires? They are also the #1 cause of home fire injuries.

• What you can do: Do not leave the stovetop unattended for any reason! Be alert, check on your food regularly while it’s cooking, and keep oven mitts, dish towels, utensils, and anything else that can catch fire away from the stovetop.