Though brightly lit reindeer and snowmen may look good on one’s roof, residents of the southeast are advised to be wary of potential fire hazards during their annual holiday decorating.

La Broquerie Fire Chief Al Nadeau says the primary rule of any Christmas furnishing is to avoid putting any electronically powered decorations near highly combustible or flammable materials.

“There’s a lot of candle displays this time of year,” observes Nadeau. “I've seen people have candles inside of birch logs with pine needles all around and those are very dangerous. We’ve had house fires caused by some of those in the past.”

Nadeau also cautions against using outdoor extension cords inside as they are insulated and may overheat if placed in a confined space.

In addition to this, Nadeau encourages homeowners not to overload their circuits with excessive amounts of lights in any one socket, and to abstain from using frayed or broken cords of any kind.