Those Halloween decorations going up at houses nationwide may look scary, but misuse or bad placement of them could be even scarier.

Tim Iman, a firefighter with the Butler Bureau of Fire, said decorations can be fire hazards if their instructions are not followed, their plug-in cords being the culprit of some local fires over the years.

“That’s the big thing with Halloween decorations, Christmas lights, a lot of people tend to misuse extension chords,” Iman said. “A lot of times you can overload the circuit and cause electrical fires.”

This week is Fire Prevention Week, organized by the National Fire Protection Association to remind people of proper fire safety measures. The theme this year is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety,” which Iman said is fitting because fall is a good time to check the batteries of smoke alarms.

“We have definitely been promoting when you change clocks, change the batteries,” Iman said. “Another thing we are preaching is not only learning the sounds, but what to do when you hear them.”

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