Fire safety a concern with Christmas trees
NBC40.net
LINWOOD - With the holidays rapidly approaching many pine trees are finding homes in people living rooms as Christmas trees.
But as more trees are being sold, tree fire safety is becoming more of a concern.
Decorating homes and businesses with Christmas trees has been a long-standing tradition but as....Continue Reading
people get excited to pick out the perfect tree for their home, tree fire safety becomes more of a concern for firefighters.
"If you're going to have a live tree it should be sprayed with a fire retardant and make sure it has water and make sure it continues to be watered, so the needles don't dry out on them to make them a real hazard," said Chief Charles Kisby of Linwood Fire Dept.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration an estimated 240 home fires involving Christmas trees occur each year that results in the deaths of about 21 people.
That is why fire officials urge people to be careful when decorating their tree.
"Only use lights that have good chords, good plugs, anything that frayed it's not worth the chance of a fire," said Kisby.
Other ways of preventing tree fires include never put lit candles on a tree and don't overload electrical sockets, because unlike other fires, a Christmas tree fire can get out of control very fast.
"It explodes basically like napalm, it goes right up, right up the wall, right up to the ceiling then across the ceiling throughout the rest of the home," Kisby explained.
And as people continue to go shopping for their perfect Christmas tree, there is one thing they should always keep in mind.
"The big thing is to be aware, to be careful, and just constantly keep in mind fire safety," Kisby said.
More Christmas tree fire safety tips can be found at the U.S Fire Administration's website.
