HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR PROPERTY FROM CHRISTMAS TREE FIRES

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR PROPERTY FROM Christmas tree fires

Each year, fire departments respond to an average of 250 structure fires caused by Christmas trees.  Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer.

Picking the tree

• If you have an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled, certified, or identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant.

• Choose a tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.

Placing the tree

• Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 1" - 2" from the base of the trunk.
• Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights.
• Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.
• Add water to the tree stand. Be sure to add water daily.

Lighting the tree

• Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.

• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.  Connect no more than three strands of mini string sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.  Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of LED strands to connect.

• Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.

•  Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.

After Christmas

• Get rid of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are a fire danger and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside against the home.  Check with your local community to find a recycling program.  Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards and make them last longer.

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Christmas tree fires

Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer.

Video: This link below contains an NFPA/UL video demonstrates the flammability of a dry Christmas tree vs. a tree that has been watered regularly.  The video is a demonstration showing how flammable a dry Christmas tree can be as opposed to a tree watered regularly. This test was conducted by the National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories.

http://youtu.be/RNjO3wZDVlA

Facts & figures

·       Between 2007-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 250 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year.  These fires caused an average of 14 deaths, 26 injuries, and $18.3 million in direct property damage annually.

·       On average, one of every 40 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 150 total reported home fires.

·       Electrical problems were factors in one-third (32%) of Christmas tree home structure fires.

·       Two of every five (39%) home Christmas tree fires started in the living room, family room, or den.

Source: NFPA's "Home Christmas Tree and Holiday Light Fires" by John R. Hall, Jr., November 2013.

Also see: Fact sheet on Christmas trees and holiday lights (PDF, 51 KB)

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THE FIRE HAZARDS OF CHRISTMAS TREES, LIGHTS, CORDS AND CANDLES

What's a holiday party or even the traditional Christmas morning scene itself without a beautifully decorated tree? If your household, as those of more than 33 million other American homes, includes a natural tree in its festivities, take to heart the sales person's suggestion—"Keep the tree watered."  Click READ MORE below for the two (2) tree fire videos.

That's good advice and not just to create a fragrant indoor winter wonderland atmosphere. Christmas trees account for 250 fires annually, resulting in 14 deaths, 26 injuries and more than $18.3 million in property damage. Typically shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches start tree fires.  Well-watered trees are not a problem. Dry and neglected trees can be.

The video clip above from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology illustrates what happens when fire touches a dry tree.  Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze.  At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling.  Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact.  Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs - that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene.

Wet trees tell a different story.  For comparative purposes, the NIST fire safety engineers selected a green Scotch pine, had it cut in their presence, had an additional two inches cut from the trunk's bottom, and placed the tree in a stand with at least a 7.6 liter water capacity.  The researchers maintained the Scotch pine's water on a daily basis.  A single match could not ignite the tree.  A second attempt in which an electric current ignited an entire matchbook failed to fire the tree.  Finally they applied an open flame to the tree using a propane torch. The branches ignited briefly, but self-extinguished when the researchers removed the torch from the branches.  As we the fire safety engineers say: REMEMBER, A WET TREE IS A SAFE TREE!