Spooky Season Stats: Home Safety Facts for Autumn Nights
Autumn Home Safety: How to Reduce Seasonal Risks Around Your Home
As autumn settles in, darker evenings, colder weather, Halloween and Bonfire Night all bring changes around the home.
Candles appear in pumpkins, outdoor lights go up, portable heaters come back into use and fireworks become a familiar sight and sound. While these are all part of the season, they can also introduce additional fire, security and household risks.
A few sensible checks can help you enjoy autumn while reducing the chances of an unwanted surprise.
Halloween candles: create the glow without the flame
Carved pumpkins are a Halloween favourite, but an open flame placed inside one can present a fire risk, particularly when pumpkins are surrounded by decorations, dry leaves or fancy-dress costumes.
Battery-operated LED candles are an easy alternative and can create much the same effect without a naked flame.
If you do use candles:
Place them on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
Keep them away from curtains, decorations and anything else that could catch fire.
Keep children and pets away from open flames.
Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Extinguish candles before leaving the room or going to bed.
Extra care is worthwhile when people are wearing Halloween costumes, as loose or flowing material can ignite if it comes into contact with a flame.
Fireworks and bonfires: keep celebrations away from the home
Bonfire Night can be particularly demanding for the emergency services.
On 5 November 2025, London Fire Brigade received 831 emergency calls, its highest Bonfire Night total since 2016 and 20% more than in 2024. Incidents included an out-of-control bonfire, fires reportedly involving fireworks and outdoor fires.
Fireworks can also cause significant injuries. Figures compiled by the Care of Burns in Scotland network showed that 46 people attended hospital following firework injuries during a four-week period, with almost half requiring plastic surgery or other specialist healthcare.
Where possible, the fire and rescue services recommend attending an organised public display rather than holding one at home.
If you do use fireworks yourself:
Buy them from a reputable, licensed retailer.
Follow the Firework Code and the manufacturer's instructions.
Keep fireworks well away from buildings, trees, sheds, fences, people and animals.
Never return to a firework once it has been lit.
Keep a bucket of water or hose nearby.
Allow used fireworks to cool before disposing of them.
Bonfires should also be kept well clear of buildings, hedges, fencing and garden structures and should never be left unattended.
Don't underestimate sparklers
Sparklers may look relatively harmless, but they burn at extremely high temperatures and can cause serious burns.
Statistics published by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service found that sparklers were the leading cause of firework-related injury among children aged under four during one reporting period.
If you're using sparklers:
Supervise children closely.
Wear gloves.
Hold sparklers at arm's length.
Keep them away from clothing and other people.
Place used sparklers immediately into a bucket of cold water.
Check seasonal lights and electrical decorations
Halloween and autumn decorations can mean more electrical equipment being plugged in around the home.
Before putting decorations up, check cables, plugs and lights for signs of damage and make sure anything being used outside is suitable for outdoor use.
Avoid overloading sockets or connecting several extension leads together. If electrical equipment looks damaged or unsafe, don't use it.
Bringing the portable heater back out?
As the temperature drops, portable heaters often come out of storage.
Before switching yours on for the first time this autumn, check the cable, plug and heater itself for any obvious damage.
Keep portable heaters away from:
Curtains and blinds
Bedding
Clothing
Upholstered furniture
Paper and other combustible materials
Place heaters on a stable surface and avoid leaving them running unattended or while you're asleep.
Test your smoke alarms
Autumn is also a useful time to check the fire-safety equipment around your home.
Government fire-safety guidance recommends testing smoke alarms at least once a month. If an alarm uses a replaceable one-year battery, that battery should be replaced annually. Alarms with sealed ten-year batteries should be replaced in line with the manufacturer's guidance.
You should also make sure alarms haven't been covered, disconnected or obstructed.
Dark evenings and home security
With sunset arriving earlier, homes can appear empty much sooner in the day.
Historical Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows that approximately three-fifths of domestic burglaries in dwellings took place between 6pm and 6am.
That makes autumn a useful time to review some basic home-security habits.
Help make your home less inviting to burglars
Consider:
Outdoor lighting: Motion-activated lighting can illuminate entrances, paths and side access.
Indoor timers: Timer-controlled lights can make a property appear occupied when you're out.
Doors and windows: Check that they are locked whenever you leave, even for a short time.
Keys: Keep keys away from letterboxes, doors and visible areas.
Sheds and garages: Make sure external buildings and gates are properly secured.
Valuables: Avoid leaving expensive items where they are clearly visible through windows.
Social media: Think carefully before publicly sharing that your home is unoccupied.
If there's a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area, it may also be a useful source of local crime-prevention information.
Remember what's stored outside the main house
As summer ends, garden furniture, bicycles, tools and outdoor equipment often find their way into garages and sheds.
Collectively, those belongings can be worth more than you realise.
Check the security of your outbuildings and consider whether your home insurance provides the level of cover you expect for belongings stored there.
Limits, exclusions and security requirements can differ between insurers and policies.
Autumn is a good time to review your home insurance
Seasonal risks can also be a useful reminder to check what your home insurance actually covers.
Rather than assuming every incident will automatically be covered, look at the terms and limits applying to your own policy.
Areas worth checking can include:
Accidental damage
Accidental damage cover may be included as standard, offered as an optional extra or subject to particular conditions and exclusions.
This can be worth checking if you're hosting friends and family or have more decorations and electrical equipment around the home than usual.
Theft and malicious damage
Check the circumstances in which theft or malicious damage is covered and whether your policy includes any security requirements that you need to meet.
Sheds, garages and outbuildings
Policies may apply separate limits to belongings kept outside the main property.
If you store bicycles, tools, garden equipment or other valuable belongings in an outbuilding, check the applicable cover and limits.
High-value possessions
Some belongings above a particular value may need to be individually listed or specified on your policy.
If you've bought valuable items since arranging your insurance, check whether your existing cover remains appropriate.
Has anything changed since you arranged your policy?
Insurance should reflect your current circumstances.
If you've made significant alterations to your home, bought particularly valuable possessions or made other changes that could affect your insurance, contact your insurer or broker if you're unsure whether they need to know.
Enjoy autumn without the unwanted surprises
From pumpkin displays and Bonfire Night celebrations to darker evenings and colder weather, autumn brings plenty of changes around the home.
Checking smoke alarms, taking care with candles and fireworks, reviewing home security and understanding your insurance cover can all help reduce some of the risks that come with the season.
Have a question about your home insurance?
If you're unsure about your existing cover or your circumstances have changed, [contact the Grove & Dean team](https://www.grove-dean-insurance.co.uk/existing-customers/contact-us/) and we'll be happy to help.
Cover, limits, exclusions and eligibility vary by insurer and policy. Please refer to your policy documentation for full terms and conditions.
Sources
London Fire Brigade – Bonfire Night incident data, November 2025
London Fire Brigade – Fireworks safety advice
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service / Care of Burns in Scotland – Firework injury statistics
GOV.UK – Fire safety in the home
Office for National Statistics – Overview of burglary and other household theft
