Peoria Fire Department is hoping it has fewer fires to respond to this holiday season. The department is promoting its 19th annual “Keep the Wreath Red” campaign.
Fire stations around the city switch the lights on their holiday wreaths from red to white for every fire they respond to between now and January 1st.
Phillip Maclin is the Division Chief of Fire Prevention for the department. He says 21 fires occurred in that time period last year.
“We almost ran out of white light bulbs. That’s how high it was. We haven’t had that type of magnitude in previous years. So hopefully our message can get throughout the city.”
Maclin says there were various reasons for the fires.
“Food on the stove, some vacant structure fires which were arson-related fires, (and) some juvenile fire setters. So we want to promote fire-safety throughout the season.”
Some tips to avoid fires include making sure live Christmas trees are properly hydrated and keeping space heaters in an open area.