Christmas trees can pose serious fire risks if you aren’t careful. But simply keeping your tree watered can make a significant difference.
The Fire Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted a series of fire experiments to demonstrate how a watered Christmas tree may be less of a fire hazard than a dry one. As shown in this video, the Christmas tree that was maintained in a stand that was kept filled with water did not ignite when exposed to the same ignition source as the Christmas tree that was not watered.
Why is this important? A slower growing fire can give you more time to escape and more time for the fire department to arrive, which can reduce the damage done by the fire. The National Fire Protection Association has several other tips for reducing the risk of a Christmas tree fire.
- Choose a healthy tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.
- Before placing a tree in its stand, cut 2 inches from the base of the trunk to help the tree draw water up.
- Make sure that the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, including heat vents and fireplaces.
- Only use decorative lights that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
- Make sure light bulbs strings, and connections are not broken or damaged in any way.
- Always turn off tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.
- Get rid of the tree after Christmas or when it is dry and keep it away from your home/garage. Most Christmas tree fires occur after December 25.
For even more protection while you are home or away, make sure to add monitored smoke sensors to your home security system. When tripped, monitored sensors will send a signal to the monitoring center, which will alert you and the proper authorities right away. Better yet, adding these sensors to your home security plan does not increase your monthly monitoring fee.
