An intense fire destroyed a home Dec. 20, 2008, in Lance Cove, N.L., killing three children between the ages of five and seven. (CBC)

Yes, it's that time of year again. A time when many Canadians spruce up the home, celebrate with friends and colleagues — and greatly increase the odds that they will become victims of some kind of accident.

The number of home accidents — especially fires — increases significantly during December, according to Fire Prevention Canada.

Overall, the annual number of house fires in Canada has been declining since 1980. However, the number of fires started by candles has been increasing since 1990 as the popularity of candles grew rapidly.

In the early 1980s, candles were blamed for 1.1 per cent of home fires. By 2001, that rate had soared to 4.7 per cent.

Between 1998 and 2002, candles ranked as the fifth most common cause of house fires, behind cooking equipment, heating equipment, electrical distribution equipment and smokers' articles, according to statistics from the Ontario Fire Marshal's office.

With that in mind, here are some tips on lessening the chances of a tragic fire being part of your holiday season.

Candles

• Candle fires are more likely to start in the bedroom.
• When using candles, keep them a safe distance from combustibles like clothing, books, paper, curtains, Christmas trees or decorations.
• Place candles on stable furniture in sturdy holders that won't tip over and that are big enough to collect dripping wax.
• Don't place lit candles in windows, where they may ignite blinds or curtains.
• Place candles only in areas where they won't be knocked over by children or pets.
• Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get within five centimetres of the holder or decorative material. Extinguish votive and filled candles before the last centimetre of wax starts to melt.
• Don't allow children — even teenagers — to have candles in their bedrooms.
• Never leave candles lit when you go to bed or leave the house.
• Never use candles on your Christmas tree.

The most common causes of candle fires include leaving candles unattended, falling asleep while a candle is lit and candles knocked over by children, pets or a sudden draft.

While a candle may look benign, its open flame can reach a temperature of 1,400 C. There are no regulations governing candles.

Fireplaces

A well-maintained fireplace will provide you with a safe and cozy winter escape. But a fireplace can become dangerous when tar or creosote accumulates in the chimney, increasing the risk of fire.

If your home has a fireplace, you should:

• Have your chimney checked and cleaned at least once a year.
• Place a tight screen on the fireplace. Ensure it completely covers the fireplace opening.
• Remove all decorations from the area before starting a fire. Do not burn wrapping paper, garbage or evergreen boughs in the fireplace.
• Don't overload the fireplace with too many logs. It's a fine line between chestnuts roasting on an open fire and racing out the door to escape leaping flames.
• When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace, preferably on a grate.
• Never leave your fire unattended. Be sure the fire is extinguished before you go to bed. Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
• Keep wood stacked, covered and outdoors, away from the house and off the ground. Smoke alarms

There are two types of smoke alarms on the market:

• Ionization-type alarms respond first to fast-flaming fires.
• Photoelectric-type alarms respond to slow-smouldering fires, where there's substantial smoke before you see flames.

Ionization alarms are a better bet close to your kitchen, where cooking fat can ignite fast-flaming fires. But for maximum protection, you might want to consider having both kinds on each level of your home.

If your smoke alarm is battery operated, you should change the battery every six months. You might want to do that at the same time you change your clocks from daylight to standard time, and standard to daylight.

Installing hard-wired alarms eliminates the need to replace batteries. However, they will not work if the power is out.

Smoke alarms are critical to your fire safety plan: most people who are killed in fires are overcome by smoke. You will quickly lose consciousness in a smoke-filled room and die well before the flames get to you.

Outdoor lights

Very few house fires are caused by outdoor lights. However, there are still rules you should follow when lighting up the outside of your house:

• Use only outdoor lights outside your house. Never use indoor extension cords.
• Examine light strings for any wear and tear. Discard damaged ones.
• Fasten bulbs securely and point sockets down to avoid moisture buildup.
• Connect no more than three strings together.

In case of emergency

• Always have emergency numbers near the phone.
• Make sure everyone in your home and the babysitter know what to do in case of a fire. Plan two ways out of every room. Have a prearranged meeting place outside the house in case of emergency. Practise your fire escape plan regularly.
• In the event of a fire, once you and your family are out, stay out. Call the fire department when you're safely out the door. Don't go back in until the fire department says it is safe.