Local fire officials warn of potential holiday fire dangers

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Bay Area officials are warning residents about potential fire hazards related to holiday decorations and batteries that aren’t disposed of properly. 

Wreath fire dangers

What we know:

Hernando County Fire Rescue responded to a fire around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. The homeowners told firefighters they had a homemade wreath hanging on the wall of their Brooksville home. 

That wreath was made of real greenery and other decorations. It was also wrapped in older lights with incandescent bulbs, which got too hot and "ended up catching the wreath on fire," Hernando County Fire Rescue communications manager Nick Brandt told FOX 13. 

"Inside the home, it flashed up, caused a big fireball, burned out pretty quickly," Brandt said. "The homeowners and occupants actually took a towel from the kitchen, soaked it in water, and were able to finish extinguishing the fire before the fire department got there."

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No injuries were reported. The homeowners told officials their smoke detectors alerted them to the fire. 

What You Need to Know:

Earlier this month, Hernando County Fire Rescue started offering free smoke detectors to county residents.  

"We will come out. We'll do an evaluation," Brandt said. "We do have those free smoke detectors that we will install for you."

Residents need to fill out a form. For more information, click here.  

Lithium-ion battery dangers

By the numbers:

Hillsborough County Solid Waste is reminding residents to follow proper protocol when disposing of batteries this holiday season. 

In October, the department launched a new outreach campaign to better educate residents about proper battery disposal after officials saw an alarming trend. 

Over the past three years, Hillsborough County Solid Waste has seen over 30 garbage and recycling truck fires.

"These batteries, when they get dropped in the trash or the recycling, they can get punctured. They can get compressed, they spark. A lot of flammable material like paper and plastics -- you got yourself a fire," Daniel Gallagher, project manager for the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department, said. "Could you imagine being that driver and seeing smoke come out the back of your truck? Incredibly dangerous, incredibly scary and traumatic."

Dig deeper:

Lithium-ion batteries are in many electronics you might use every day, like cell phones, vapes, power tools, or video game controllers.

Think of anything that can be re-charged. 

"Never place these batteries, lithium-ion or charged batteries, in the trash because they can and likely will start a fire. It literally only takes one battery to do this," Gallagher added. "You can come bring them to us. We encourage you to tape and separate them. We have bags, and we'll do that for you as well: Tape the terminal so they don't touch other metals or other batteries that can create that spark."

What You Need to Know:

There are other kinds of batteries, too: Think of the holiday greeting cards that sing Christmas carols, certain kids’ toys, or maybe some of your holiday decorations. Those might all use lithium single-use batteries, which cannot be recharged. 

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"Those should also be brought to us," Gallagher said. "The only batteries that can safely go in the trash are alkaline batteries."

 Officials said residents should tape the terminals of each battery with clear tape first and then put each battery in a separate bag before properly disposing of them. 

What's next:

For more on how to discard batteries in Hillsborough County, click here.

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