Christmas Tree Fire Safety Tips: How To Choose, Decorate Your Tree Safely

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, TX — Directly after Thanksgiving is the busiest time for live Christmas tree sales, so make sure you are picking out a safe tree this year. A Christmas tree can be the perfect way to build holiday cheer in your house, but it’s basically a cone-shaped firestarter if not properly cared for.

An estimated 25 million live trees will be sold nationwide this year. According to the National Fire Protection Association, Christmas trees are not as likely to be the first item ignited in a residential fire as other common household items, including newspapers and magazines, boxes or bags and curtains and drapes. But fires involving trees are especially dangerous, authorities say.

From 2009 to 2013, 210 home structure fires were started by christmas trees, resulting in seven deaths, 19 injuries and $17.5 million in property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Overall, Christmas trees are involved in approximately 400 fires annually.

Here are the Texas Fire Marshal Office’s tips on how to buy, set up and decorate your tree safely.

Tips for choosing a safe Christmas tree:

• If you’re buying an artificial tree, it should bear the “Fire Resistant” label. While this type of tree can catch fire, it will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
• If you’re buying a natural tree, buy the freshest you can find. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles. Watch out for trees with a greenish cast to their trunks and branches; many growers spray trees with green paint to make them look more appealing. Cut at least one inch off the trunk’s base to expose fresh wood for better water absorption. A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24 hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter. A seal of dried sap will form over the cut stump in four to six hours if water drops below the base of the tree, preventing the tree from absorbing water later when the tree stand is refilled. If a seal does form, another fresh cut will need to be made.
• To maximize freshness and minimize fire risk, keep the tree outdoors for a few days in a bucket filled with water before bringing it indoors to decorate. The tree stand should hold at least one gallon of water.
• Because heated rooms dry out natural trees rapidly, keep the stand filled with water; check the water level daily. A six-foot tree will absorb one gallon of water every two days.

Tips for setting up and decorating a Christmas tree:

• Set up the tree away from fireplaces, portable heaters, heater vents, and television sets. Place it out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways. Use thin guy wires to secure tall trees to walls or ceiling; the wires will be almost invisible. Because heated rooms dry out natural trees rapidly, keep the stand filled with water; check the water level daily. A six-foot tree will absorb one gallon of water every two days.
• Use only lights tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters’ Laboratories. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. Miniature lights are preferred, for their cool-burning bulbs. Position bulbs so that they aren’t in direct contact with needles or ornaments.
• Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord (maximum of 200 miniature lights or 150 larger lights). Only one extension cord should be used per outlet.
• Be careful where you place electrical cords: Don’t run electrical cords under rugs; walking traffic can weaken the insulation and the wires can overheat, increasing the chances for fire or electric shock. Be careful when placing cords behind or beneath furniture; pinched cords can fray and short. Keep animals away from cords to avoid entanglement and chewing. Keep cords and lights away from the tree’s water supply.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Turn off all lights before going to bed or leaving the house. The lights could short out and start a fire. • Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree (even an artificial tree) or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• Decorative lighted villages, Nativity scenes, electric trains, and other electrically powered scenery and figures should be monitored like other decorative lights.