Christmas wouldn’t feel like Christmas without the special treat of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. If you are like millions of other Americans around the country, then getting a real tree is a priority. If that is your case, there are certain safeguards you should take to prevent a fire from happening.

When Christmas tree fires occur they often spread fast. As a result they can cause serious injuries and inflict intense damage to the home. Christmas tree fires have been the cause of over $13 million in property damage.

The cause of most Christmas tree fires is usually because of shorts in electrical lights or open flames. Keep matches or open flames away from the tree. Dry Christmas trees can be a major problem if not carefully watched.
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When a Christmas tree is not properly taken care of and watered it can become a huge fire hazard. The Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and technology have researched what happens when fire reaches a dry tree.  The video on their website shows how quickly a Christmas tree fire can happen and spread.

According to their research it only takes three seconds to set the tree completely on fire. Within 40 seconds the entire room is erupted in deadly flames and harsh toxic smoke. It’s no wonder why 1 out of every 22 Christmas tree fires ended with death as compared to the average fire where its 1 death per 75 fires.

Thankfully the statistics show that Christmas trees that do catch on fire are a very small portion of the amount of live Christmas trees that are sold. The best way to prevent a fire from happening is to keep your tree properly watered. A well-hydrated tree has a great chance of not being able to catch on fire, even when it is intentionally lit.

Even if you have a well-hydrated tree it is important to remember a few basic principles. When you put on Christmas lights to decorate your tree, follow the instructions and don’t use too many. Never use worn light bulbs or candles.

Place the tree at least three feet away from any other heat source. Keep your tree away from a fireplace. Keep it out of direct contact with sunlight to avoid unnecessary water loss.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.