VIDALIA — When roasting chestnuts this Christmas, it’s important to take a few precautions to make sure that jolly little fire doesn’t become a raging inferno.

Though fire safety is important year round, there are some hazards especially associated with the winter months and holiday season.

One of those is what has become an American holiday tradition, both inside and outside — Christmas lights.

If a homeowner isn’t careful, in their zeal for the holiday spirit they can overload their electrical system by pulling too much electricity through one socket.

“You need to make sure to always have enough (extension) cords that can handle the (electrical) load for Christmas trees,” Ferriday Fire Chief Joe Sontoyo said.

Another hazard that could come with the Christmas lights is old, frayed wires that can throw off sparks.

“A lot of times people will use the same lights year after year, and when they take them down they throw them in the attic and a rat will chew on the wires,” Concordia Parish Fire District No. 2 Chief Nolen Cothern said.

Even with good wiring and setup, homeowners need to be careful of the heat generated by Christmas lights, especially those mounted on real trees.

“If you don’t keep those trees watered, those needles dry off and the heat from the lights can ignite the tree,” Natchez Fire Marshal Aaron Wesley said.

Some holiday fires are started when someone doesn’t take care of a fireplace by having the floo cleaned, where creosote buildup from years past can result in a chimney fire, Cothern said.

But whether they use the fireplace for ambiance or just for old-fashioned heating, homeowners should always place the screen in front of the fireplace’s opening.

“A couple of years ago around Christmas we had fires caused by fireplaces because people didn’t put up screens, and embers popped out and set the carpet on fire,” Cothern said.

In the same way that people need to make sure that they keep materials away from space heaters, they should be sure to keep items at least three feet away from a fireplace — including stockings.

“Stockings make a nice decoration, but that is combustible material they are hanging over that fireplace,” Wesley said.