You can file straw bales and corn stalks in the same conversation as your Christmas tree regarding fire safety after an incident in Baileys Harbor on Monday. The Baileys Harbor Fire Department responded to a fire on Ridges Road after 7:30 p.m. after a halogen light started some dry, decorative straw bales on fire. Crews used about 300 gallons of water and five minutes to put out the blaze. No matter the holiday, Baileys Harbor Fire Chief Brian Zak says property owners need to be aware of the potential fire hazards of their decorations.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, decorations were to blame for an average of 790 fires per year between 2015 and 2019. More than 44 percent of those fires were started because the decorations were too close to a heat source. The likelihood of similar events could go up in the near future as more Americans decide to decorate their homes for Halloween and the fall season. According to a Lombardo Homes Survey, 79 percent of Americans will decorate their homes for the season, up from 71 percent last year. They are also spending more money to do it, with the average American spending $87 to decorate compared to $61 last year.