The Prince George Fire Department is dreaming of an uneventful Christmas.

Over the last four years, December has been the slowest month for fires in Prince George. Despite the low numbers, there are added risks during the holidays.

“Fires tend to happen when people are at home and not paying very close attention. Those two things are definitely increased over the holiday season” said Chief Fire Prevention Officer Marcel Profeit. “We have people in from out of town, we’ve taken time off work, we’re spending more time at home”

The fire department reminding residents to stay attentive and mitigate fire risks.

“You want to make sure you’re safe with your candles…we want to keep a three foot clearance around fire places” said Profeit. “If you have a real Christmas tree, you want to make sure that is watered.”

For the larger Christmas light displays, he says it’s important not to overload circuits with too many light strings. Using LED lights can mitigate risk since they use less power than the traditional incandescent bulbs.