To keep the heat in the kitchen and not elsewhere in the house, Hall County Fire Services officials are offering up a few tips for a fire-free holiday.

Interim Fire Marshal Bryan Cash said unattended food and other kitchen mishaps ramp up around the holidays along with issues with Christmas trees and lights.

Of major concern for those deep frying turkeys, Cash said, is making sure there is not too much grease in the pot and getting the bird completely thawed and dry.

“Whenever you put that in there and the water mixes with the grease, it causes it to expand and bubble over,” he said. “That’s a pretty big hazard right there.”

With cooler temperatures, fire officials are asking residents to keep space heaters and other warming appliances at least 3 feet away from all combustible materials. Cash added that citizens should try to plug the space heater directly into the outlet and avoid extension cords.

“A lot of times when people think about extension cords, they think about those brown, 99-cent cords that you get from the dollar store, and those extension cords are just too small to be able pull the amount of energy that the space heater pulls,” he said.

A more appropriate extension cord, Cash said, would be the larger orange extension cords found in hardware stores.

Cash said there is a “larger rise in candle fires during the holidays than any other time.” The advice from the fire department is to keep a foot of space from the candle flame and never leave it unattended.

Above all, Cash said, is to ensure you have a working fire alarm.

“No matter what the problem is — whether it’s cooking, candles, Christmas trees, extension cords — the one common thing that’s going to make them safe is a smoke alarm,” Cash said.

Anyone needing help installing a smoke alarm, Cash said, can call the fire department at 770-531-6838.