If your family uses live Christmas trees you will want to take precautions to prevent or reduce the risk of Christmas tree fires in your home. There are an average of 230 home fires per year that are started due to Christmas trees. Here’s what you should know about Christmas tree safety:
Choose a Healthy Tree
Reduce your risk of Christmas tree fire by choosing a healthy tree. Look for trees with green needles that aren’t falling off easily when you pull back the branches or lift and tap the trunk on the ground. Touch the tree trunk to make sure it feels slightly sticky. If the trunk is not sticky or the needles fall off easily, the tree was cut too early and has probably started to dry out – making it a fire hazard.
Take Care of Your Tree
Set up your tree far from a heat source. The heater or fire place will dry out your tree and make it more prone to catching on fire. A live tree should only be set up inside for two weeks.
Make sure your tree stand is full of water all the time – add water daily to prevent the tree from drying out. Trees that are dried out are a much higher risk of fire than a well watered and cared-for tree. If you think remembering to water your tree will be a problem, consider an artificial tree instead of a live one to prevent deadly holiday accidents.
