Have bad judgment? You still have home insurance

The number of house fires shoots up every holiday season as folks burn more candles, put too much oil in their turkey deep-fryers and string together questionable lines of electrical extension cords.

My local newspaper reported on a family who had extensive damage last week to their “three-season room” from a fire that appeared to start under the floor of the room. The fire chief speculated that ashes from a wood stove were dumped under the floor of the room. Now that’s just bad judgment by the homeowner!

Fortunately home insurance companies don’t make coverage decisions based upon a policyholder’s judgment, or lack thereof. As long as your house fire wasn’t intentionally set by residents, home insurance will generally cover the damage. That’s good news for a lot of people who fail to anticipate the bad consequences of their actions.

Here are 10 holiday disasters covered by insurance.