Westport FD Urges Residents To Take Down Christmas Trees

WESTPORT, CT — Though many still enjoy looking at their Christmas trees well into January, the Westport Fire Department urges residents to remove them from their homes promptly after the holiday season. In a recent Facebook post, the department recommended residents add it to their to-do list this weekend, as 33 percent of U.S. home fires that begin with Christmas trees occur in the month of January.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the longer a tree remains in a home, the more of a fire hazard it becomes. A dried out Christmas tree can become engulfed in flames in seconds, which can result in tragic incidents. (To sign up for Westport breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

For residents' safety, the department recommends never pulling a cord to unplug an electrical device from an outlet and instead using the gripping area on a plug to remove it. Pulling on the cord can harm the wire and insulation of the cord, which increases the risk of an electrical fire.

When packing up strings of lights, it is recommended to inspect each line for damage and to throw out any sets that have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.

Each set of lights should either be wrapped and placed in individual plastic bags or wrapped around a piece of cardboard. Electrical decorations should be kept away from children and pets in a dry area where they will not be damaged by water or dampness.

Check the department's Facebook page for further information.

Photo credit: Shutterstock