(Radio Iowa) – With Thanksgiving behind us now, many Iowans are turning their thoughts to decorating their houses for the holiday season ahead.
Andrea Vastis, spokeswoman for the National Fire Protection Association, says those colorful lights can be a beautiful accent to your home, but they can also pose a serious fire hazard. Vastis says to make sure the lights are approved by a testing laboratory and that they’re rated for outdoor use.
Putting lights outside that are supposed to be for indoor use only could quickly lead to an electrical short — and a fire. Some newer L-E-D-style lights allow you to connect a few dozen strings of lights and plug them into just one outlet, but she says to read the labeling very carefully.
