Homeowners are being advised to get a licenced electrician to check their house wiring before putting up decorative lights, in order to prevent fires.
The warning came from Assistant Superintendent in charge of Communication at the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Emilio Ebanks, as he addressed a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank.
He said that house wiring that is over five years old needs to be checked before the decorative lights are plugged into the household circuit. He said that the increased electricity demand, coupled with unsafe wiring, increases the risk of fires, the destruction of property and the loss of life.