CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — With the Holidays just around the corner, there are number of fire hazards to look out for during this festive season. Albemarle County Fire Marshal Captain Macaiah Ledford spoke with WINA Morning News about how to stay safe this Holiday season.

One of the common ways that fires can start during the holiday season is from light displays, which can cause electrical fires.

“Circuits can get easily overloaded,” Ledford said. “If you think about in movies, especially the Holiday movies where they overload circuits, those can cause fires.”

He said the best way to avoid these fires is by making sure you’re using indoor and outdoor lights properly, as well as avoiding using staples, nails and anything that could damage the wires when putting up the lights, as any damage will cause the wires to heat up when plugged in. He also said using a surge protector, while making sure it’s for either indoor or outdoor use, and turning off lights when you go to bed and helpful habits to avoid issues.

Candles can also become a hazard during the holidays, as forgetting to burn one out could pose a major risk.

“You never want to leave a candle burn unattended,” Ledford said. “Anything can happen. Especially if you have children or animals, it could be knocked off. If you have drinks nearby, you want to keep those three feet from anything that can burn, but you never want to burn any type of candle and leave it unattended.”

New Years Eve can even bring back a fire hazard often associated with a different holiday — fireworks. Ledford made clear that fountains and sparklers are legal in Albemarle County, but any fireworks that shoot up in the air are not. He added that all fireworks are not permissible in the City of Charlottesville.

For those in the county who will be using them, Ledford said adult supervision for kids, lighting one firework at a time and giving the fireworks enough time to cool-off before disposing them are all crucial for safety, as well as making sure the firework is a safe distance away from any combustible structures.

“You never know when a firework could fall over,” he said. “So, you don’t want it to burn up against a wood siding or anything that could catch on fire.”

Still, the lights of the Holidays don’t just bring more hazards to worry about, and even Albemarle Fire Rescue is getting in on the fun. Many of their stations this year have been decorated, and the squad is holding a vote on Engage Albemarle’s website to see which one the community thinks has the best display.

“It’s a little friendly competition amongst stations,” he said.