Red Cross has a holiday fire safety message following a Thursday Beaufort home fire

The American Red Cross is helping a person whose Laurel Bay Road home in Beaufort was damaged by fire Thursday, according to a press release from the organization.

Financial assistance for food, clothes, lodging and other essentials, as well as kits of personal hygiene products, have been provided to the individual, according to the Red Cross release.

In addition to helping the person affected by the Beaufort fire, the Red Cross took the opportunity to remind people about the importance of fire safety during the holidays.

Not only do the Red Cross and other organizations see a larger number of fires during the holidays, the release says that Christmas tree fires are significantly more likely to be deadly than other fires, and that fire from candles is four times as likely.

The Red Cross recommends that you check smoke alarms and create and practice a fire escape plan. The release says that escape plans should be practiced throughout the year and alarms should be tested monthly and have their batteries replaced as necessary.

Donations to the Red Cross can be made by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999, which will make a $10 donation.

You can also donate, or volunteer to help those affected by disaster, by visiting redcross.org.

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Red Cross has a holiday fire safety message following a Thursday Beaufort home fire."